SICHUAN PROVINCE, China - I was still responding to the death and destruction that had devastated Myanmar when I read the news: “Massive Earthquake Strikes Central China.” A few weeks later, I’m surrounded by death and destruction yet again. But despite the horrific 7.9-magnitude quake that rocked Sichuan Province, I am also surrounded by remarkable hope and resilience.
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YAO JIN VILLAGE, China - Today’s site visit was excellent. The villagers were warm and exceptionally motivated. By tomorrow they will have finished the construction of the ‘bath house.’ Read the rest of this entry »

MYANMAR - Regrettably, the delta is still essentially locked down to expats and foreign aid workers. In addition, we heard that cyclone victims are now being told to leave the temporary camps and return to their devastated villages. Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday I met with the village leaders in Yao Jin and planned “phase one” of the village resurrection project. The mayor wanted to talk about the size of new houses and urged me to focus on rebuilding the first few houses. I explained that building could not occur until clean water, sanitation and debris removal was accomplished. Read the rest of this entry »

We had a 9 a.m. appointment with Mr. Wang, the Executive Director of China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA). CFPA is one of the largest humanitarian organizations in China; they have a government mandate to improve the lives of the poor and respond to disasters. CFPA is one of OB China’s primary partners and we are privileged to work with them. Read the rest of this entry »

I started the day meeting with top government officials and got the green light to bring in large quantities of tents from the U.S. The government has been very cooperative and supportive of our efforts. Now, the challenge is to secure a large donation of family size tents from manufacturers. Read the rest of this entry »

Today, the China earthquake of May 12 got up-close and personal. We took a team of volunteers, doctors and a truckload of food and relief supplies, and drove into the mountainous region north of Chengdu, outside the city of Mianyang, and visited two tiny villages that have suffered 100 percent destruction. Read the rest of this entry »

At about 3 p.m. today, my taxi rolled up to the sprawling new terminal at Beijing Airport. OB China staffer, James Moo, met me at the curb and explained China Air needed my passport right away. James was breathing hard from running all the way from the ticket counter.

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BEIJING – I was driving on a highway headed out of the city to coordinate donated goods and relief supplies when all other drivers began honking and pulling over. I glanced at the clock and realized it was the moment declared by the national government to launch a 3-day period of mourning. Read the rest of this entry »