for and by the people affected by leprosy in Liangshan, Sichuan, PRC

May 2009 Issue
for and by the people affected by leprosy in Liangshan, Sichuan, PRC
Message from the Board
It was a privilege to attend the day of dignity in Liangshan and to
see the value of bringing our PALs (people affected by leprosy) to
the attention of the local community. All our staff, volunteers and
clients who participated deserve our thanks. Also we owe a debt
of gratitude to our organizing partners, the Red Cross and Centre
for Disease Control, particularly the latter for their visibility through
so many doctors who attended and demonstrated physically to the
large audience that close contact with PALs is not a problem.
We are now turning our attention to the livelihood programme and
welcome the report planning the first year’s activity to improve
stock rearing and agriculture in
two villages using participation
with the villagers as a main
feature. Prof Chen Xiaobo,
our community development
consultant has given us an
action plan which will be led by
our staff and our new community
development officer whom we
welcome to our team.
project recognized internationally by Rotary, but it is a hard slog of
bureaucratic steps to achieve this. We will persevere.
As I mentioned in the previous issue we are now inviting up to 50
new members to participate in our governance and the key criteria
are donations to the project, medical experience in relation to leprosy,
working or business experience with local or central government,
with track record of substantial donation to projects within China or
to leprosy projects globally, etc. If you would like to join us in this
important endeavour, please give your name and contact details to
Liza Yu at [email protected] .
We are also sharpening
our 3-year plan so that staff
and all associated with our
work are aware of our future
aspirations in the form of
measurable
outcomes.
Without this plan, we cannot
expect potential donors to
understand the challenges
we face and how we intend to
overcome them successfully,
with their support.
Fund raising is always given
attention and a team from our
Board consisting of Nick Pirie,
David Anderson, Francesco
Cavazzoni and myself will man
a stand at the Centenary Rotary
World Convention to be held in
Birmingham, UK from 20th to 24th
June.
As always we welcome
constructive
comment,
particularly the contacts for
any new source of funds,
please play your part in helping
Li Cai Hong (back row, second from left), Peter and Liza with village
representatives after the morning session of the March 11 Day
us achieve our vision of full
integration and sustainable
self reliance for our PALs and advise Liza Yu of your suggestions.
We are all volunteers and will pay for our own travel and
accommodation as well as giving time to represent RCHKSPeter Barrett
Handa throughout the convention period. We would like to get this
Chairman
Board of Directors:
Contents
Peter Barrett – chairman
Message from the Board.......................................................................1
Peter Wan – deputy chairman
“Prostheses Ambassadors” from Yanbian.............................................2
Tony Leung – honorary treasurer
Facts about Yanbian Village Home.......................................................3
Nick Pirie – fundraising director
11 March – A Milestone for Leprosy Rehabilitation................................4
David Anderson – medical director
Activity Highlights February 2009 / March 2009 / April 2009........4,5,6,7
Francesco Cavazzoni
Joseph Chan
Michael Chen
Visit to Liangshan – March 2009...........................................................8
Protective Shoes – A Critical Success Factor
for Physical Rehabilitation.....................................................................8
Rotary District Conference in Macao – Feb 08.....................................9
C Peabody Hutton
Programme Officer’s Journal, February-April 2009.............................10
Bernie Ting
Acknowledgement to Donors.............................................................. 11
Published by RCHKS-Handa Projects International Limited
Address: 601 Eastern Harbour Centre, 28 Hoi Chak Street, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2873 5050
Email: [email protected]
1
May 2009 Issue
“Prostheses Ambassadors” from Yanbian
– by Liu Guangyou and Mao Xiaohua
About 20 villagers in our current eight project villages are
suffering from serious ulcers. To prevent them from developing
into cancer, amputations are needed. Very few of them agree
to going under the knife. Only two operations were performed
in year 2007-8.
Fear of amputation
One reason why they refuse to have their lower legs amputated
and wear a prosthesis is the traditional value that Yi people
want to keep their bodies intact. The mountainous terrain and
the need to work in the fields also add to their worries and
hesitation.
To help villagers overcome their fears and to demonstrate to
them how prostheses work, we organised sharing days in Xide
and Puge Villages with prostheses users. Four villagers from
Yanbian, Yang Zhenhua, Chen Huasheng, Zhang Shouzhi,
Zhang Zhonghua, were invited to join us for a visit to the two
villages as “Prostheses Ambassadors”.
Yanbian Village has seven prostheses users. Their prostheses
had been provided by the local Disabled Persons’ Federation,
long before we launched our project. There had been no followup maintenance until we started our work in the village centre
in May 2008.
(left to right) Yanbian Prosthesis Ambassadors Yang Zhenhua, Chen
Huasheng, Zhang Shouzhi and Zhang Zhonghua visiting Xichang
Our first trip to other villages
At Yanbian, we replaced eight new prostheses for the villagers
in 2008. The villagers are now proficient in the control of their
prostheses and walk very well. They are ideal candidates to
explain to fellow villagers the life with prosthesis.
by the Yanbian Prostheses Ambassadors
We had never imagined that we could go out of the village again after moving in here for so many years. Much less
could we imagine the opportunity of talking to people in other villages. It was a surprise when Xiao Liu and Xiao
Mao called and asked us to go to Xide and Puge with them.
A few days later, the four of us set off with Xiao Liu, Xiao Mao and Jidi from Xichang. We first went to Xide, then
Puge on the following day.
During this trip, the one thing that struck us most happened on the road. The roads leading to the villages were very
rough. They were all unpaved, and dust filled the car. We were jolted in the car by the turns and twists.
Not long after, we came to a narrow section which was all mud and water. Our car was just moving along the edge
of a deep cliff. We were all frightened to death. We dared not think what would happen if the driver had less skill.
Just at this moment, the driver pulled over. “It’s too rough. I can’t go any further.”
We had no choice but got off and moved to the other car. When we walked up to the project vehicle, we realized
that there were not enough seats. The project staff simply said to us, “No worries. Take the seats and we will sit in
the storage compartment.”
We all hesitated. We knew it would be very uncomfortable for them to sit at the back. But then they said, “It’s fine
as long as you are comfortable. Don’t worry about us. We are OK.” Honestly, we were all in tears when we heard
that.
Inside the car, we asked the staff if the roads to other villagers were as bad as these ones. Beyond our imagination,
they said that some were even worse. Our hearts were saddened. We always thought that they had fun going here
and there all the time. We had never tried to understand their work and did not realise how tough their work was.
When we arrived in the village, the staff asked us to talk about what good the prostheses did to us. We did exactly
what was expected of us. From this sharing, we learned that the living environment, hygiene condition and accessibility of other villages were very poor. We also realized that the project team’s work was very tough.
From now on, we will cooperate well with them because their work is just not easy.
2
May 2009 Issue
Continued from p.2
Action speaks louder
On 17 and 18 February 2009, the prostheses ambassadors shared their
experiences with villagers in Xide and Puge. The sharing was highly interactive.
The prostheses ambassadors are Han Chinese and interpretation into Yi was
needed.
The villagers examined the prostheses and asked many questions.
“Any pain walking with prostheses?”
“Can you cook by yourself?”
“Can you work in the fields?”…
The ambassadors answered them one by one patiently. Walking down the hill
back to the car after the sharing, they refused assistance from us and said, “Let
them see that there are no problems walking down the slope with prostheses.”
Their action made the point. The villagers saw them off. Two villagers in Puge
changed their mind afterwards, and agreed to amputations. And another villager
was re-considering his decision.
A toy car creatively turned into a private car that allows
Wang Sifu going around merrily in the courtyard
The visit touched the four ambassadors from Yanbian. They wanted to help
others with their own experiences, and this has changed their perspective on life
and to help other PALs. They know more about other villages and our work.
And we gained more appreciation from the ambassadors!
Facts about Yanbian Village Home
Year of Establishment: 1958
Population: 25 PALs, 18 of them with visible disabilities.
Ethnicity: Predominantly Han with some Yi people. Most of them
are aged. Seven of them wear prostheses, one has two. Yanbian
has the highest ratio of prostheses among all the project villages.
The high ratio is attributable to them being the most disabled in
the area.
Economy: Meals are taken care of by the government. A cooking
helper prepares meals for the villagers every day. To supplement
their diet, the villagers collectively raise 10 pigs. They have 3 mu
of land on which they grow some corn and vegetables. They sell
some of them to get extra cash on top of the subsidy they receive
from the government.
Yanbian Prosthesis Ambassadors laying bare their third legs to fellow
villagers in Puge
Geography: Yanbian County lies in Panzhihua Municipality to the
south of Liangshan Prefecture. The village home, situated right
next to the highway to Panzhihua city centre, is 12 km away from
the county town. It is a 3-hour drive away from Xichang through
the new Xichang-Panzhihua highway, and is right by the Yangtze
River. There are about 500 other PALs in the county.
Infrastructure: There is reliable supply of water and power.
Villagers live in a 2-storey brick building with a well-stocked
pharmacy, well-equipped clinic and a huge courtyard. There is a
new block with an activity room. Trenches were dug on the steep
slope behind the building as a buffer to the landslides. In this
coming year, our project will be sponsoring the renovation of the
shower room and toilets, and the re-surfacing of the rugged path
leading to the toilets.
Our Service: Physical rehabilitation, minor improvement of
infrastructure and social rehabilitation
The local government has recently built a new
extension with activity room on the ground
floor. We are supporting the renovation of the
old shower room marked in green.
3
May 2009 Issue
11 March – A Milestone for
Leprosy Rehabilitation
News clip:
http://218.205.243.3/
newsfile/2009/3/12/200931284852.html 四
川新闻网视频
On 11 March 2009, the International Day of Dignity and Respect was celebrated by thousands
in the Moon Square of Xichang. The event, initiated and organised by our project staff in
Xichang, was co-organised by the Liangshan Centre of Disease Control (CDC), Liangshan
Red Cross and Liangshan Office for Prevention of Leprosy.
In addition to the organizers, Government leaders including those from the municipal
government, Health Bureau, National Women’s Federation, also showed their support by
personally attending the evening show.
The theme of the day was to eliminate stigma against leprosy and care for people affected by
leprosy. A sizeable stage with eye-catching
backdrop showing the theme was set up
in the centre of the Square facing one of
the busiest streets. Panels showing our
project and facts of leprosy were displayed.
Information leaflets were also handed out
to passersby around the Square. Everyone
was invited.
http://www.redcross.org.cn/zx/
gddt/200903/t20090312_32271.html 中国红
十字会网
Feedback from the public had been positive.
The morning session drew a couple hundred
Activity Highlights February 2009
2
February
• Construction of the Rehab & Activities Centre in
Jinyang Village started. Progress however was
disrupted by snow, rain and road repairs which
Doctor Xu and Nurse Mao (right)
collecting feedback from villagers
in Muli Village
stopped materials from delivering to the village.
• Annual assessment of the physical rehabilitation
programme was conducted in the Tibetan Muli
Village.
• Preparation for the 11 March
International Day of Dignity and
Respect ran with full gear, involving
dozens of core volunteers from the
Xichang University.
Project staff (front row) with volunteers at the Xichang University after
a preparatory meeting for the 11
March Event
4
May 2009 Issue
Continued from p.4
News clip:
http://www.ls666.com/html/News_Center/
LS_News/2009-03/20090309_xianshi_37172.
html 凉山新闻网
local residents and dozens of media representatives. The evening performance attracted
thousands of viewers. The event was widely reported in Liangshan and Sichuan media.
Some thoughts after 11 March Dignity Day
It was the first ever government supported leprosy education event held right in the city centre
for the public. Its success carried significant meaning to the project and the villagers who
participated. They held a post-event sharing in the project centre on the day following the
event before the villagers would head back to their respective villages.
“RCHKS-Handa gave us leprosy affected persons a second life. In the past, we were not
allowed on buses, rejected from hospitals. We are grateful that you carry out public education,
encourage the society to accept us and help people learn more about leprosy. Senior
Liangshan government officials, doctors and volunteers all came to sing with us at the 11
March event. We had the
chance to perform on the
stage. With your care, our
lives will become better
and better. Thank you for
your care.”
-- Puge Village
Representative
http://press.idoican.com.cn/detail/
articles/20090312085B11/ 凉山日报
Activity Highlights March 2009
3
March
• The 11 March Day was held with great success. The
key message was that leprosy is curable and that
people affected by leprosy should be equally treated
with respect. The message reached about 3,000 local
residents in Xichang who filled the main city square
where the event was held. The media reports reached
thousands of others all over the country.
and supervision, the community development team
assessed the needs in Xide Village and Ganluo Village,
and would consolidate the ideas into programme plans
by the end of April.
• The project office was relocated to Xichang downtown.
The new office, with reliable supply of water, power and
communication services, is closer to all the government
offices.
• Board chairperson Peter Barrett, strategy consultant
Liza Yu, and project manager at Kadoorie Charitable
Foundation Li Cai Hong visited the project during
9-17 March. They attended the 11 March Day, visited
three villages and met with the Director of the Centre
of Disease Control and the General Secretary of the
People’s Friendship Association.
Liza (with cap) and her
fans in Xide Village
• Community development programme consultant Prof.
Chen Xiaobo from the Yunnan Agriculture University
paid his first visit to Liangshan. Under his guidance
Jidi and Sonya interviewing a villager in Xide for the
community development programme
5
May 2009 Issue
Continued from p.5
News clip:
“I lived in the leprosy village since I was 21. Before, no one
cared about us. We were being discriminated everywhere.
Before I participated in the 311 event, I had never imagined
that so many people would participate in this leprosy education
activity. We are much grateful to the work that RCHKS-Handa
has done for us.”
-- Ganluo Village Representative
“I used to have serious ulcers. Now they are all gone. Thank
you very much to Handa and Rotary for their care. Without you,
we would not have such good life now.”
-- Jinyang Village Representative
“We started organising the 311 event in February. Everything went on smoothly. But things
turned suddenly in the final preparation stage. We encountered a big problem, but we didn’t
pull back. We just tried our best. Ended up the event was successfully held, and exceeded our
expectation. This tells us, everything is possible if we work hard.
Certainly I am grateful to all volunteers and villagers who participated in the event. Without
your efforts, we would not have had such a successful event.”
-- Mao Xiaohua, Nurse
http://ls.newssc.org/
system/2009/03/11/011667689.shtml 四
川新闻网凉山电视台
Activity Highlights April 2009
4
April
• Construction of the Jinyang R&A Centre continued. The main skeleton was completed
and is due for completion in mid-May.
Internal structure of the R&A Centre in Jinyang Village
completed at the end of February
Whole skeleton of the Centre completed at
the end of March
Front of the Centre showing the porch
6
May 2009 Issue
Continued from p.6
“11 March is the result of the joint effort of all of us. Its success
owed much to the united efforts.
I came from a leprosy village. In the 1980’s, villagers were not
allowed to go outside the village. The government supplied us
food and clothing, but did not allow us to go out. Yesterday, I was
moved by what I saw. RCHKS-Handa has brought great changes to
the lives of leprosy affected people since it launched the project in 2005. Now leprosy villagers
can eat out, stay in guest houses, buy and sell things freely in the market.
http://www.lszxc.cn/news/200931285318.
html 中国凉山彝州新闻网
Before that, even when government officials came to visit our village, they would only enter
after we all had stepped to the side. Now everyone is equal. Very few people will be afraid of
us. What happened yesterday made me and leprosy affected people feel proud of ourselves,
leprosy affected people could perform on the stage.
We owe much to the efforts of RCHKS-Handa. It was such a great moment when doctors and
personnel from CDC and Health Bureau gave hugs to leprosy affected people on the stage.
Such close contact was a good demonstration to the society that leprosy is nothing to fear
of.”
-- Jidi, Community Development Assistant
Activity Highlights April 2009
4
April
• Surveys of two new project villages were conducted in Yanyuan in the western part of
Liangshan and Moxi in the Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture bordering northwestern
Liangshan. With these, programmes were launched in all the 10 project villages.
• Five members from the Xide Women
Embroidery Group went to Xichang.
The trip brought satisfactory results as
members had a better comprehension
of the kinds of skills they would need to
improve on, a realistic understanding of
the products and prices in the handicraft
industry.
Overview of Yanyuan Village
Project staff going up the hill to the
Yanyuan Village on motorbike after
ferrying across the river
• Annual
assessment
of
physical
rehabilitation programme was conducted
in Butuo Village and Jinyang Village.
7
May 2009 Issue
Visit to Liangshan – March 2009
Board chairman Peter Barrett, consultant Liza Yu and project manager of Kadoorie Charitable
Foundation Li Cai Hong visited Xichang and the villages in Xide, Yanbian and Puge during 9-17
March 2009.
The purposes of the visit were to meet the project team to understand more about the project,
its progress, achievements and issues; participate in the first ever government-supported public
event for leprosy education in downtown Xichang; visit PALs in a few villages to understand
their living conditions and impact of our project; meet with relevant government officials to
foster relations and cooperation.
Peter and CDC Director Dr. Zhang (right) at
his office in Xichang
All were very impressed by the public events held at the Moon Square, Xichang on 11 March
to promote acceptance and social integration of leprosy affected people, and touched by the
PALs and other people.
uccess
Protective Shoes – A Critical S
n
Factor for Physical Rehabilitatio
in 2005. At its core
d our project in Liangshan
first programme when we launche
other leprosyPhysical rehabilitation was our very
have been living with ulcers and
bilities (POD). PALs in the villages
was the prevention of further disa
.
ades, because of lack of proper care
related disability for almost four dec
gers.
the physical well-being of the villa
ies are the immediate concern for
injur
new
of
on
POD
enti
a
ed
prev
form
and
We
Ulcer recovery
n to the villagers first.
tegy was to focus on health educatio
stra
our
er
lts,
furth
resu
ble
from
es
aina
selv
sust
To achieve
rs and protect them
h villagers to take care of their ulce
teac
to
e,
nurs
a
and
tors
doc
team, with two
injuries.
very in just two years. Another
of the project had a complete reco
t
star
the
at
rs
ulce
had
who
30% of the 102 villagers
rovement over that period.
63% were at various stages of imp
of
Rehab workshop to support prevention
disabilities
protective and
b workshop in which we made
education programme is a reha
care
self
the
of
project since
the
part
on
nt
n
orta
bee
An imp
n Dr Liu Guangyou has
villagers. The workshop technicia
the
to
s
limb
and
es
sho
edic
opa
orth
2005.
r
ent of disabilities prevention. Ove
e shoes, an indispensable compon
ectiv
prot
to
ted
rela
is
k
wor
es.
Liu’s
sho
A major part of Dr
r-made 226 orthopaedic inserts for
0 pairs of protective shoes and tailo
the years, he has distributed 1,20
tion
Tailored Solution for Disability Preven
Guoshun, workshop
”, with information supplied by Fan
tour
al
hnic
“tec
a
you
w
sho
to
In this issue, we would like
Association in Guangzhou.
Handa Rehabilitation and Welfare
technician at the headquarters of
feet. PALs’
n in the hands and particularly the
es, leading to the loss of sensatio
nerv
ral
phe
peri
will lead
the
ies
age
injur
dam
the
can
Leprosy
d and quickly treated,
and dust. If not properly protecte
cuts
s,
burn
to
ective
e
prot
pron
with
are
es
feet
sho
hands and
r lives. Appropriate
utation. This seriously affects thei
amp
s
case
ous
seri
in
and
ies,
to deformit
enting disability.
insoles are therefore crucial in prev
Protective Shoes
e the following four features:
A good pair of protective shoes hav
on hard or sharp objects
from injuries caused by stepping
feet
the
ect
prot
to
s
sole
d
Har
•
opaedic
lized pressure. Tailor-made orth
a cushion effect and reduce loca
ide
prov
to
–
les
inso
ble
flexi
• Soft and
nd recovery.
on the ulcers, contributing to wou
shoe inserts further reduce pressure
insert if needed, to avoid
ce for the foot, and an orthopaedic
spa
t
cien
suffi
ure
ens
to
–
es
rmities.
• Deeper and wider sho
eloped clawed toes or other defo
y leprosy affected people have dev
injuries from compression as man
8
May 2009 Issue
gers can put on the shoes easily
of shoe laces – to ensure that villa
ad
inste
s
tape
ro
Velc
with
e.g.
Easy-to-wear design,
e seriously deformed hands and
big challenge, as many of them hav
a
n
ofte
is
s
lace
e
sho
on
king
by themselves. Wor
•
fingers.
The shoes that we
meet all the above requirements.
There are no ready-made shoes that
ugh Handa. The
thro
r
an are specially made on orde
distribute to the villagers in Liangsh
ct”, the colour
effe
el
“lab
n from friction. And, to avoid the
soft canvas offers more protectio
to ordinary shoes.
and style come as close as possible
Orthopaedic Shoe Inserts
nd recovery. Their
foot from injury and promote wou
Orthopaedic inserts can protect the
functions are:
imbalance
• To reduce shearing stress from
e area
by spreading the pressure to a larg
• To reduce localised pressure
•
To increase shock absorption
l foot and position of
r-made to the shape of individua
Every orthopaedic insert is tailo
villages when the
the
at
rts are usually made on-site
the ulcer of the wearer. The inse
protective shoes are distributed.
wing
the village, and performs the follo
machine and insert materials to
ding
grin
s,
tool
es,
sho
the
ies
The technician carr
five typical steps:
foot disability
STEP 1: Determine the type of the
normal, pronated or supinated.
and determine whether the foot is
Ask the villager to walk as usual
ts, wounds or calluses
STEP 2: Locate the pressure poin
rs; and circle
itions of the pressure points or ulce
of the old shoes to estimate the pos
ns
ditio
con
tear
and
r
wea
the
e
Examin
the foot with red lipstick or marker.
the ulcers, wounds or calluses on
of insert materials
STEP 3: Pick an appropriate type
erials, namely, Plantar
Select from five main types of mat
Platform, Tarsal Cradle
Metatarsal Pad, Hatti Pad, Tarsal
tion Pads, to make the
with anterior rocker, and Combina
locations of pressure
insert that suits the foot type and
points
STEP 4: Trim the insert
of rubber which is 3mm
Glue together two to three layers
pe needed with a grinder.
thick each. Then trim it to the sha
STEP 5: Confirm pressure points
ask the villager to walk in
Put the insert onto the insole and
ther pressure is alleviated
the protective shoes to check whe
points are correct (the
at the right positions. If the pressure
ry), fix the insert on the
red mark should turn lighter or blur
insole to finish the whole process.
Rotary District Conference in Macao – February 2009
Board member Nick Pirie, again with the
help of volunteers from St Stephen’s Chapel,
Stanley, set up a booth to showcase the
leprosy project and promote embroidery
products handmade by the Xide Women
Embroidery Group at the Rotary District
Conference held in Macao on 21 and 22
February 2009.
Tessa Walker and Nick Pirie proud to
showcase the project
Jenya Hayhoe greets all with a big smile
9
May 2009 Issue
Programme Officer’s Journal, February-April 2009
Memories still linger on, of the staff and volunteers running across the
city square, of the professional dance performances by the university
students, of the doctors from the Centre of Disease Control hugging
and shaking hands with leprosy affected villagers, of the beautiful
song by the children from the villages … the list can go on.
I lived with the anxiety and excitement in anticipation of the first
ever public event on the 11 March International Day of Dignity and
Respect in Liangshan. Imagine that we even did it in the main public
square in the prefecture capital of Xichang City, with the villagers
expressing their dignity and earning the respect from the public
in their own voice and action. On that day, representatives of our
project villages (nine men, two women, three boys and two girls)
wrote a new chapter in the medical history of Liangshan.
In this new chapter, we also witnessed the impressive move of the
CDC Director to put words in deeds. To show respect to the villagers,
and to demonstrate that we have nothing to fear about the disease,
he invited the 11 adult villagers to go on stage with him. After a very
short speech, he spent the rest of the time hugging them, one by
one.
Kelly Xu, the physical rehab programme officer in the team, was
the MC in that event. While the villagers walked onto the stage, she
proudly screamed, “This is the first time the leprosy affected villagers
came to the centre stage!”
Yes, indeed. I was thrilled into inaction. My mind went blank at that
moment. Soon after that, doctors from the CDC came forward and
did the same as Dr. Zhang. In a distance, all I could see were the
white line (the doctors’ coats) and the black line (the villagers’ black
11 March T-shirts), the close-to-zero distance between them, and
the tears that swelled the eyes of the volunteers. I realised that my
vision was also blurred while holding onto my camera.
The cultural night brought the whole event to a climax. Attended by
more than 2,000 local residents, it was the fruit of concerted effort
made by almost 100 volunteers from the Xichang University and a
couple of private companies. The crowd grew and stayed through
the evening. I could not fathom the impact of the message on the
public. All I knew is that this is a hard but beautiful first step towards
social re-integration.
Work went on after the party hangover. Another excitement in
10
May 2009 Issue
Continued from p.10
Please visit our March 11 photo album at ............
this quarter came with the arrival of Prof. Chen, our community
development programme consultant in March. Managing rural
development projects over the past decade, Prof. Chen is wellequipped to guide the staff to design and implement development
programmes that address the problem of livelihood and other
community needs.
To enrich ourselves with different livestock management methods,
we attended a training organised by Heifer China, conducted
by Hilario, agricultural expert at Kadoorie Farm, Hong Kong.
Expectedly, Prof. Chen will make reference to the ideas in his work
on husbandry-related programmes which will be launched in Xide
and Ganluo Villages in the next quarter. Life is interesting when
there is something specific that we look forward to!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfq05lzvK-s
And I would like to take this chance to thank Peter, Liza and Li Cai
Hong who visited the project in March and offered comprehensive
and valuable suggestions as to how our work can be further
improved. In the meantime, we are going to compile our annual
report for 08-09. I hope you will experience the same excitement
from the recollection due in June. See you.
Sally Chun
Five guaranteed households in Xide gathering in front of their new houses
Acknowledgement to Donors
Donors who have made donations to the project during the period February - May
2009 (in alphabetical order) :
Julietta Lee
Nico W. Kooij Peter Barrett
The George and Chandra Harilela Foundation
The Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem
RCHKS-Handa Liangshan Leprosy Project
The Liangshan Leprosy Project was initiated by Rotary Club of Hong Kong South
in 2002. RCHKS-Handa Projects International Limited now runs the project in
partnership with Handa Rehabilitation and Welfare Association in Guangzhou
and Liangshan Prefecture Centre of Disease Control and Prevention. We
serve ten leprosy villages in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture in southern
Sichuan. There are approximately 1,700 villagers in these villages, of whom 440
are affected by leprosy.
RCHKS-Handa Projects International Limited, a registered charitable
organisation in Hong Kong, is set up purposely to run the leprosy project in
mainland China. It is governed by a board of directors. Our vision is to provide
a healthy, sustainable socio-economic environment with enhanced education
opportunities in the leprosy villages in Liangshan.
Please feel free to contact us at [email protected] or +852 28735050 if you
want to know more about the project or contribute to it.
Published by RCHKS-Handa Projects International Limited
Address: 601 Eastern Harbour Centre, 28 Hoi Chak Street, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong
Donation methods
Make your cheque payable to “RCHKSHanda Projects International Limited” and
send it to 601 Eastern Harbour Centre, 28
Hoi Chak Street, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong.
Deposit your donation to The Hongkong
and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited
bank account 004-808-275358-001
Donations from Hong Kong of HK$100 or
above are tax deductible. Please state your
name and address with your cheque or pay-in
slip if a receipt is required.
Tel: +852 2873 5050
Email: [email protected]
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