A Message from Anne Thurston, Director of the Grassroots China Initiative "Since the tragic earthquake that struck the town of Jiegu in Yushu prefecture, Qinghai province during the early morning hours of April 14, the Grassroots China Initiative has received many inquiries about the situation of our friends in Jiegu and about how to aid the relief effort. We hope that you will contribute. 
A coalition of Qinghai-based NGOs have constituted themselves as the Yushu Earthquake Response (YER) team and agreed to pool relief resources and determine jointly how best to distribute them to those in most need. A leadership team composed of local NGO directors and a Chinese disaster relief specialist are administering a needs assessment to identify the areas where local NGOs can make the greatest contribution without duplicating government efforts. They expect their major focus to be on remote and difficult to reach poor villages scattered throughout the prefecture.  "The effect of the earthquake has been devastating. The death toll is now up to 2,309, with 12,135 injured. Estimates are that between 70-90% of the homes in Jiegu have been destroyed. The process of rebuilding, both of homes and of the shattered community, will take years. The Grassroots China Initiative will continue to support the effort.
"There are several ways to contribute to grassroots NGOs during the immediate relief effort. Please visit our How to Contribute page for more information." | 
