Issue
43
May 2011
In Chuxiong, Yunnan, Oxfam supports the building of water facilities and roads, helping villagers overcome obstacles to further development. In Kunming, we support migrant families from rural areas by providing a safe place and activities for their children, as well as livelihoods development.
Projects against Poverty
Clean water brings change
"It feels like drinking mineral water!" Hui-ying has waited for twenty years for clean drinking water.
Smile!
“I have waited for this day for more than 20 years!” Li Hui-ying, 50, said with a thankful smile as she tasted water from her new tap. Since she married and moved to Candoutian village, in the remote mountainous area of Chuxiong, Yunnan Province, Hui-ying has had to use the yellowish muddy water from a small pond that collects rainwater, the village’s only water source. “It took us about an hour to get the water each time. We had to go to the pond four to five times a day and barely had enough water for daily use. To save water, we only bathed a few times a month, and had to rely on rain water for farming.” The poor water supply and limited road access restricted development in Candoutian village; in 2008, residents earned an average cash income of only 354 yuan for the year.
In 2009, Oxfam allocated funds to enable the residents to build much-needed water supply facilities and roads. All households participated in the construction work. Now people have clean and safe water available from taps in their own homes, and their health and hygiene have improved. They also have water to irrigate their rice paddies and broad bean fields, and for raising livestock; the time and effort they used to spend on getting water are now spent on improving their livelihoods. Oxfam further supported them by providing micro-credit as capital for growing konjac, which is used to make gelatin and is a good cash crop in the area.
We are working towards a positive future!
Oxfam works with local people in our poverty alleviation and development work. Through their own efforts, with our assistance, people are tackling the causes of poverty in their areas and shaping the positive future they envision.
Working with people against poverty 2520 2525
Dear Oxfam Supporters, In March, Yunnan, Japan and Myanmar were hit by devastating earthquakes. The successive disasters brought suffering to tens of thousands of people in the affected areas, depriving them of homes, safe water and ways to make a living. When the disasters struck, people in Hong Kong and around the world responded quickly. Oxfam Hong Kong took immediate action to assist survivors in Yunnan and Japan. By making a donation to support Oxfam’s relief and recovery work, you have shown people hit by these disasters that you care in their time of need. The road to rebuilding is long and will surely be beset with various challenges, but I am convinced that Oxfam friends like you will always be there to offer a helping hand. Oxfam will always do what it can to bring relief to people affected by unforeseen disasters. At the same time, work continues on long-term development programmes designed to strengthen the lives of poor people and make them less vulnerable to natural disasters or economic shocks. In May, Oxfam is launching the China Development Fund Campaign 2011. The theme of this year is “Smile! We are working towards a positive future!” As usual, we will be selling small bags of Oxfam Rice around town during the weekends of the 7th, 8th, 14th and 15th. Please visit our booths and buy a bag or two to support our anti-poverty work across China. Oxfam Hong Kong has been working in China since 1987, one of very few international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to do so. Over the years, we have been assisting the poorest and most vulnerable people to improve their lives with development projects that emphasise the importance of community members’ involvement and commitment. We work with communities to understand their views on the causes of poverty and possible solutions, then together we implement projects that suit local conditions so as to achieve lasting improvements. Let’s continue to join hands to help more and more people on the path towards a more secure future with a full sense of wellbeing. With best wishes,
John Sayer Director General Oxfam Hong Kong
Residents contribute their time and effort to building their own water facilities.
Hui-ying is happy about the progress her family has made – they now raise cattle, sheep, pigs and chickens. They also took out a loan from the micro-credit fund and started growing konjac. Hui-ying said if she earns 4,000 yuan this year she will take her son to a hospital, as he suffers from a leg problem, and repair her house.
Konjac, which grows well with little water, brings cash income to the residents.
Enjoying safe play the city, they are often left to wander around without care. In the summer of 2009, Hung-ling was hit by a car when she was playing in the street. To pay for her medical treatment, Hung-ling’s parents had to work harder than ever. With no time and no pocket money for her, their relationship with their daughter grew tense.
Hung-ling (right) and her sister (left) enjoy their playtime free of risk at the service centre of Heart-to-Heart. It is common for children of rural-urban migrant families in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province, to play in the streets. Hung-ling, 11, used to do the same. Lacking local residence under China’s Household Registration System, rural-urban migrant families enjoy very few social welfare benefits or resources in cities. Family breadwinners are often low-income earners who work very long hours to make ends meet and save money to send back to their rural homes, where their parents or other family members live. If their children accompany them to
In view of the hardships faced by migrant families, Oxfam works with a local partner in Kunming, the Yunnan Heart-to-Heart Community Care Service Centre, to provide facilities and services for children, including an activity centre equipped with toys and books, with learning and interest groups and family outing activities. We also support a livelihoods programme called “Green Platform” – which includes a second-hand shop, a sewing studio and a recycling team – for migrant women, who can bring their children to the activity centre while they work nearby. As they work together, the women also become friends and their community network is enhanced.
Children from a rural-urban migrant community enjoy reading in a small park. Every weekend, the outreach team of Heart-to-Heart brings toys and books to the park.
Women from the rural-urban migrant community join Oxfam's livelihood project and use their sewing skills to earn a living.
Oxfam Ambassador Joey Yung Visits Communities in Yunnan, China Hong Kong’s well-known singer Joey Yung visited Oxfam’s rural and urban livelihood projects in Yunnan for the first time with Oxfam Hong Kong. During the trip, she met and talked with community members to gain a better understanding of how Oxfam works alongside villagers to improve their lives. Joey also used her music to break the language barrier. Oxfam Ambassador Tune into Hong Kong Broadband Network Channel 201 Joey Yung on Saturday, 14 May at 7:30 pm & 8:30 pm (Chinese language only) and TVB Jade on Saturday, 28 May, at 11:55 pm (Chinese language only).
Hui-ying, a resident of Candoutian village in rural Yunnan, has a tap at her home now, and a much cleaner water supply than she had before – as Oxfam Ambassador Joey Yung shows.
Joey holds two konjac roots, which local villagers have begun growing and selling to food-processing companies to earn some income.
Photos: Hugo Lam
www.oxfam.org.hk |
For many years, people in Candoutian village had only muddy water for drinking and daily use.