CHENGDU, CHINA-  In a previous Pulse Report HISG described our working relationship with a key partner in the city of Chengdu.  This relationship has been vital in moving aid quickly and directly to aid organizations in Chengdu, but millions of Chinese are still homeless and suffering.  Here is an update on what HISG is doing in the Sichuan province.

HISG has arranged for 1,080 water filters to be delivered to communities in Sichuan.  These filters are durable, simple to install, and can filter enough water each day for an entire family.  The water filters will meet an urgent need for clean water among the 5.4 million people displaced by the earthquake.

HISG is also helping coordinate medical teams traveling to China.  These teams will be made up of medical professionals volunteering their time and services, and a team leader with years of experience in cross-cultural medical relief.  They will be organized by an agency that worked with HISG during the 2004 Asian Tsunami relief.  In addition to this organization, HISG has connected with another group in California that is willing to sponsor a team of 20 doctors, nurses, and physician assistants eager to help in Sichuan.

Finally, HISG is working with one of our partners to ship tents to some of the people made homeless by the earthquake.  The Chinese government has graciously waived all import taxes for the tents and offered free shipping from Beijing to Sichuan.  Several U.S. carriers have offered to help ship the tents to Beijing from the United States and Canada.  HISG and our partner are now looking for donors who could help us purchase tents at cost from manufacturers, and for manufacturers who are willing to donate tents for the displaced people in Sichuan.  Please contact us if you would like to help with this project.

HISG continues to work with dozens of organizations in the U.S., Canada and Asia for the China earthquake relief.  Please visit our website for the most recent updates or to find out how you can get involved.  If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to HISG for this effort, please click here.

MYANMAR- Aid has begun trickling in to the Irrawaddy River region of Myanmar, but there are still reports of supplies being confiscated and harsh restrictions placed on foreign humanitarian workers.  It has been a complicated process but HISG continues to identify ways to help the people of Myanmar. 

HISG worked with a partner in Southeast Asian to support the efforts of a newly-formed coalition of local groups determined to work together in the cyclone relief.  This network connects about 20 Burmese organizations with 30 international humanitarian groups to assess and meet needs in local communities.  HISG has also raised about $28,000 (USD) for the Myanmar relief effort.

Secondly, HISG's International Director for Asia traveled to Singapore to train about 40 Myanmar nationals using HISG's International Disaster Response (IDR) Model.  The IDR training outlines how organizations of all sizes can participate and cooperate for an effective disaster relief.  The volunteers from Southeast Asia will have far easier access to Myanmar than foreign aid workers have, and will be better suited for working in that culture.

Like the Chinese in Sichuan, the people of Myanmar have an enormous need for clean water.  HISG is shipping hundreds of water filters into the disaster zone.  These filters will hopefully stop the spread of water-borne illnesses and help the people who are fighting diseases like dysentery, typhoid, and malaria.  HISG is also looking for means to ship and distribute the 100,000 water filters that have been offered to us for Myanmar.

Finally, HISG is helping organize medical teams volunteering to help in Myanmar.  These teams are similar to the ones involved with the China relief effort, and may  carry in donated medicine and children's clothing to distribute. 

Please visit our website for updated information about the Myanmar relief effort.  We are still planning to send several containers of supplies, but are delaying the shipments until we are certain that the contents can be distributed freely.  Thank you for supporting HISG in this project.

HISG's disaster response staff has been working feverishly to help the victims of recent disasters in China and Myanmar, and another localized incident recently demanded our attention.  On May 22 a tornado ripped through the town of Windsor, Colorado and damaged hundreds of homes and businesses there.  HISG's partnering warehouse is located near Windsor and was able to organize a volunteer team to help with the projects.  HISG worked with a number of volunteers in the area to distribute supplies and to help clean up the wreckage. 

HISG's goal in disaster response is to be flexible enough to engage in simultaneous disaster relief efforts in different parts of the world.  The events of the past month have underscored the need for such flexibility.  The tornado damage in northern Colorado was relatively small, but it still required teams of volunteers reaching out to help others around them.  HISG and our partners are dedicated to helping people reach out to their neighbors, their community and to the rest of the world and help others.