4·14 Earthquake Relief Special - 8

　　Yushu Rescue—We’re Doing Our Best, Part 8

　　Fill in the gaps and deliver the help that’s needed.

　　April 30, Sunny

　　Today, we’re heading to Longbao Town—where the disaster was particularly severe, according to information we gathered from Losong Nima yesterday. The town is located roughly 80-plus kilometers from Jiegu Town and has more than 100 households. We’d expected that, given its distance from the prefectural capital, relief efforts might not be as robust there. But after arriving with supplies and medicine and conducting on-site visits, we discovered that precisely because the state, enterprises, and volunteers had recognized that remote areas like this might receive less attention, relief resources have poured in here in greater numbers. By contrast, towns and villages closer to the prefectural government—such as the racecourse—have seen relatively weaker relief efforts. In Longbao Town, the distribution of supplies has been very well organized; there’s an ample supply of tents and food. So we set out to see what else we could do. As we looked around, we noticed that nearly every household here has a large number of children—some families have as few as three or four, while others have five or six. Moreover, the age gaps between these children are remarkably small; the oldest is no more than 15 years old, and most are around five years old. These kids can’t really help much with household chores. What’s more, many of them lack sufficient clothing. We’ve identified 21 households and recommended that the company include some children’s clothing in the third batch of supplies to be distributed.

　　During our visit, we learned from the locals that there was one household—perhaps the poorest in the village—that had been severely affected by the disaster. When we met the elderly head of the family and asked what they were lacking, the old man told us that their house had collapsed, but fortunately everyone was safe. For the past three years, his family had been borrowing grain from the local granary, and they’d already repaid most of it, leaving just one year’s worth remaining. Yet this year, they’d definitely have to borrow again to get through another year. Still, with a bit of effort, they’d manage to repay the debt. Right now, they don’t lack basic supplies; whatever they’ve dug up from the ground is sufficient for their needs. The only thing they’re really short of is medicine. Both he and his daughter-in-law suffer from heart disease. A small vehicle had come by a few days ago to distribute medication, and he’d gone to pick some up. But there weren’t many pills available, and the line was incredibly long. Seeing that perhaps two-thirds of those in line wouldn’t be able to get any medicine at all, he decided not to push his way through the crowd anymore. He said, “You’re from Qizheng Tibetan Medicine—whether now or in the future, if you could just provide some medicine for heart disease, that’d be great.” We took note of this simple, sincere old man’s request.

　　As we were wandering around the middle of the tent camp, a woman in her 50s—whom we’d initially assumed was asking for supplies—held up two fingers toward us. When we approached her, she said, “You’re from out of town, aren’t you? You’ve come to help us. This time, I’d like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the nation and to all of you. Why don’t you come inside the tent and have some tea?” We rested briefly in her tent, and during our conversation, she told us that her family had enough instant noodles to last them a whole month—but they simply had no money. Yet, even though she didn’t need anything, she started to cry as she spoke. At first, we thought maybe a loved one had passed away, and she was just overwhelmed with sadness. But after further questioning, we learned that both she and her husband were deeply devout Buddhists who recited countless sutras and made daily pilgrimages to the stupa. Now, however, the stupa they used to circumambulate every day had collapsed, and they couldn’t afford to go elsewhere to perform their rituals. As a result, it might soon become inconvenient—if not impossible—for them to continue their Buddhist practices. So we presented this woman with a Buddha statue we’d brought from Tibet, wishing that the stupa in her heart would stand tall and unshaken forever.

　　After returning to Jiegu Town a little after 5 p.m., the girls went off to fetch water and cook, while the male team members made phone calls to reach out to the nine households in need that had been registered yesterday but hadn't yet been contacted. Once all the supplies were distributed, we tended to the wounds of the little girl who’d been injured on her temple yesterday, as well as those of her injured father and mother. We also paid a follow-up visit to the family with four children. Both the grandmother and the children firmly refused to give one of the kids up for adoption. Although the child’s mother was somewhat willing, considering the family’s circumstances, the grandmother insisted that the youngest child was already five years old and had begun to remember things; she worried that once the child was sent away, he’d find it hard to adjust to life in a new environment. The family thanked us again and again, even asking for Wanma Dazeng’s phone number, saying they’d try to see if any relatives could take in a suitable young orphan. We felt deeply ashamed for having made such a “cruel and reckless” request—but at the same time, we felt a small measure of relief that this request hadn’t actually come true. We truly believe that as long as the hearts of the family members remain united, this impoverished family will have hope.

　　Tomorrow, we’ll continue our Tibetan medical treatment and relief efforts. After two days of field visits and observations, we’ve noticed that supplies are being distributed relatively well in areas farther from the county seat. Meanwhile, the national authorities near the county have already shifted their focus to clearing the rubble. As a result, we’ve decided to concentrate our efforts on the nearby villages and towns, searching for and providing assistance to those in need. We plan to divide the team of six into two groups, each consisting of three members, who will hike through the surrounding villages and towns, identifying and registering households that require help. Everyone is aiming to visit more than 200 households over the course of two or three days. Tomorrow, Wanma Dazeng and Gao Ming—two older boys—will stay behind to handle logistics. I wonder what kind of “special” meals we’ll be eating!