Earthquake in China: Volunteer opportunities

Our posts about the earthquake in China have gotten a lot of traffic over the past week. It seems as though people are genuinely interested in helping the victims of the earthquake in the Sichuan province, whether it's sending money, hosting displaced persons, or going to China to help rebuild.

I have searched high and low, and have yet to find any specific volunteer trips to Chengdu or the surrounding areas, outside of trips undertaken by non-profits that do disaster relief. If you're a regular citizen who is not already a trained member of a group like Doctors without Borders, you may have to either wait for such trips to get organized, organize your own trip, or find other ways to help.

If you are bound and determined to travel to China to help with the rebuilding effort, I would suggest getting in touch with local organizations with ties to China. This includes various weekend Chinese schools, Chinese cultural associations, and Chinese media outlets. Some of the groups I found include:

• Greater Boston Chinese Cultural Association
• Chung Wah Academy of New England
• China Tomorrow Education Foundation - Builds schools in rural China to ensure education for all
• Alpha Communities - Works with people and communities to realize potential, initiate change, and create opportunities in rural China and Mongolia

If you're looking to donate funds, the Chinese language TV station KyLinTV is matching all donations made for earthquake relief (click on the English button on the upper right if you can't read Chinese). Cathay Bank in Boston is also collecting donations. Mercy Corps has partnered with the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation

Don't forget - there is always the option of doing it yourself. You can make a difference. Just start making the phone calls, doing the research, getting the answers. S/he who is determined will not fail.

The conditions in China are not getting better. Dozens of large dams are threatening to collapse, which would cause floods and even more damage. Please, do your part - help the survivors of this tragedy.

Related Posts: Earthquake in China; Global Volunteering; How you can help with a mullet; Tornadoes, Cyclones, and Disaster Relief - Oh My!; Myanmar cyclones and what you can do to help; Food Crisis - Get on the Seoul Train

Photos courtesy of this Chinese web forum.

Don't forget to vote daily for the Volunteer Boston Blog as the "Best Hobby Blog"!