Combat Epidemic Outbreak Fund-raising Campaign

This is a pleading of donation by China Synergy Programme for Outstanding Youth Alumni. It is a program that I got the opportunity to go in 2004.

-----
Dear CSPers,
Synergizing Out
Fight Against Epidemic with Earthquake-ravaged Sichuan

May 12 2:28pm - a moment that all Chinese will never forget. The devastating earthquake in Sichuan has taken over 60,000 lives. Over 200,000 people were injured and more than 80% of the buildings in some cities collapsed. For the past week, the earthquake scene touched our hearts. To show our borderless support, the CSP Alumni in Hong Kong launched the “Combat Epidemic Outbreak Fund-raising Campaign” to synergize our power again to help our fellow friends in Sichuan.

Polluted waters, cramped living conditions in temporary shelters and insufficient sanitary facilities are now seriously threatening the lives of those who just escaped from the earthquake. Without clean water and proper treatment of waste disposal, infectious disease outbreaks are likely to occur soon. According to Hong Kong’s infectious disease specialist, who came back from the quake-suffered area in Dujiangyan, some people there are already showing signs of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections.

Restoration of good sanitation are vital for controlling any outbreak of communicable diseases. Therefore, we call for the support of all CSPers on our “Combat Epidemic Outbreak Fund-raising Campaign”. Every dollar you donate will be used to acquire supplies including chlorine disinfectant equipment, shelters, and mobile sanitation facilities.

We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to all for your generous support in advance. We hope that through our donation, we can show them that our love and care for them goes beyond our respective borders.

Please also forward this email to your friends so that more people can support our campaign.

Yours sincerely,
China Synergy Programme for Outstanding Youth Association


Address: 18/F, Sun House, 90 Connaught Road Central, Sheung Wan, HK
Tel: (852) 2117 0326 Fax: (852) 2536 0605
Email: alumni@chinasynergy.org.hk
Website: http://www.chinasynergy.org.hk/cspa

-----
Letter of Appeal – Draft 1Attachment

1:Zhou Peng, an CSP7 Alumni graduated from the Medical School of Sichuan University, is involved inthe rescue team at Huaxi Hospital in Sichuan. Below is the message he sent to the CSP students overthe past week.

Date: 13 May 2008 11:16:52 PM GMT+08:00All your caring messages touch my heart. There had been no mobile phone reception here inSichuan since yesterday and the connection has just resumed.I came back from the hospital at 6pm last night. I am still in fear every time I think about theearthquake last night. Most patients here are from nearby Chengdu. The patients fromquake-affected areas are still unreachable. Even though the first medical team we sent toWenchuan yesterday hasn’t come back, a second team, today, forged ahead and left for the city,without fear and regret.Rain is pouring all day today, just like yesterday the people here in Chengdu are mourning. Wehaven’t experienced such a disaster for almost 80 years!Tomorrow will be a better day!

Date: 14 May 2008 9:01:26 PM GMT+08:00Come back from DujiangyanToday I went to Dujianyan with the ambulance. I thought I was already psychologically prepared,however I was still shocked when I arrived. The earthquake flattened the entire city, with only a fewbuildings barely standing with gigantic cracks. Dead bodies are put on the road side. The schoolthat our rescue team went to found 100 students dead and only 5 children survived.

Date: 15 May 2008 12:29:19 AM GMT+08:00Come back from DujiangyanThe Huaxi Hospital I served at is the world’s biggest single block hospital with 5000 beds and is thesupport centre for the province for this disaster. We received patients that who were not able to getfurther treatment at the quake-affected zone. We have cleared all the beds in order to have morespace for the patients. We are now in immediate need for surgeons.

Date: 15 May 2008 12:35:50 AM GMT+08:00Support Arrived!The medical team from Zhongshan hospital arrived and brought us 35 anesthesiologists!

Date: 15 May 2008 12:48:22 AM GMT+08:00First group of injured from earthquake
Today, the air force transported 47 children to the hospital. Some of them have family contactinformation with them, meaning that their parents are still alive. Sadly though, most of the childrenare without family contact information and are believed to have been orphaned by theearthquake catastrophe. Upon arrival, 12 of them are affected by bacteria and their limbs had tobe removed. As all operation rooms are full, we can only do the operation along the stairways.

Date: 15 May 2008 1:08:30 AM GMT+08:00Our Spirits are with themJust want to send a text message to everyone during the break. Thanks so much for all yourencouragement. I feel that you are all besides me cheering me up. People around me showedunwavering determination during this battle. Though we are in need, we also help others. Our spiritsare with them. Thanks so much!

Date: 18 May 2008 11:13:43 PM GMT+08:00Psychological StatusThe psychological impact for the injured is increasing. More and more patients came to our hospital.Now, together with Sichuan Hospital we have more than 2000 patients, and the hemodialysisapparatuses runs 24-hour everyday. More importantly, now there are only a few hemodialysisapparatuses for children and it’s definitely insufficient.Dear folks please be assured that I am still fine. Just that the aftershocks every night disturbed mysleep and scare me a bit! Yesterday Ms. Leung gave a call to the CSP at Sichuan University and wereally appreciated it!The weather is very hot these days and today the trucks from Chengdu carried strong odors. Weexpect that we will have a tough war against the epidemic in the next few days!

-----
Click here to read more of Chen Chow's posts

Would encourage any of my blog readers to share with me any event that you come across. As long as the event/activity/initiative is education/charity/youth oriented and is not-for-profit, I would be more than happy to post it to share!