Earthquake in China: Families Uniting
As people in Sichuan Province, China recover from the earthquake that left millions homeless and tens of thousands dead, World Vision worker Tian Ying reflects on some of the glimpses of hope he has witnessed in the midst of the disaster.
Ever since the earthquake happened, we have been hearing people say: “We are one family! For those kind-hearted people from across the world, or for those who personally experienced the tremors, we go hand in hand and heart to heart, and we help each other all the time.”
While most people must feel inspired by this strong sense of unity—a picture that the TV often depicts—it is only when somebody meets quake victims face to face, that he can truly understand the power of “a family”.
Living and Working Together
On May 26, I went to Lichuan Park to distribute child-friendly kits with a few colleagues. There we met a lot of big families, with grandparents, parents, uncles, aunties, brothers and sisters as well as cousins all living together.
Most of them had clear division of labour, young men would work outside or as volunteers, the elderly and women would look after the kids and children would study hard to prepare themselves for school again.
27 People in One Tent
Among the many families that we met that day, the Jia family left the biggest impression on us.
Their tent was particularly large but inside were living a great number of people—a total of 27 family members! Four were from the oldest generation that consisted of the grandparents, 17 from the second generation and 6 from the third generation. Life inside the tent was never quiet or lonely.
The four oldest members were responsible for cooking, mending the tent and taking care of the children while the 17 grown-ups worked during the daytime and returned to the tent for dinner and rest.
Uncertain Future
It was obvious that the family had tried their best to make their temporary living arrangement as comfortable and normal as possible. However, they were all tired of living in the tent and felt lost about the future.
They had no idea when all the children would return to school or when the adults could go back to work…no plans, no practical solutions. They were just counting one day at a time.
“We now stay together”
Their stories made us worry, but when we were saying goodbye I was more overwhelmed by the words that one of the elderly told us, “Our children used to live faraway from us. We didn’t see one another for one month or two. But because of the earthquake, we now stay together to take care of one other. That’s why we have such a big tent.”
Undoubtedly we all suffer because of the earthquake; but it is also the same earthquake that has brought us together. We can go hand in hand and heart to heart and help each other all the time. For we are one family! Although the future is not ours to see, we know as long as we are one family we shall overcome the difficulties together !
Since the earthquake, World Vision has distributed some 800 tents, more than 6,700 tarpaulins and 11,700 quilts, to ensure that families displaced by the earthquake have shelter in a safe environment.
In addition, World Vision also plans to help build 5,000 houses for quake victims, which will benefit 20,000 people.
If you would like to donate to earthquake relief efforts, click here.
