The Letter of Appeal to Support the 500 Norsu(Yi) Orphans
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen
Norsu(Yi) people are one of the major minority groups in western-south China. The Norsu people in Liangshan autonomous prefecture and the surrounding regions of Sichuan province are the biggest branch in China with a population of 2 million. Since the implementation of the reformation and opening policy, liangshan has made great progress in its local economy and culture. However, some new social problems have been brought out, among which the issue of drugs and HIV/AIDS is now seriously threatening the development of Liangshan.
At present, with the joint efforts of the law enforcement officials and the folk society, drug abuse in Liangshan has been controlled to some extent. But HIV/AIDS tends to spread from the high-risk people to common people. The women and children in the families with AIDS/HIV infectors or drug takers live in a more and more severe situation. A large number of people are suffering from drugs, dying, becoming handicapped, blindly migrating to other places or thrown into prison, which has devastated a lot of families and brought out many orphans and children without source of life necessities. In addition, because of the traditional habit of early marriage and early birth, there are usually 2-4 children in every family, which means the number of the children affected by drugs and HIV/AIDS in Liangshan is much larger than that in other regions.
According to the investigations, the major problems that the children influenced by drugs, HIV/AIDS and poverty are facing include great short of food and nutrition, deficiency in basic life guarantee, heavy burdens of physical labor at a young age and high possibilities of being dropped out of school. The children are suffering physically and mentally from diseases and drugs in their broken families.
The Indian poet Tagore has said,” You can find heaven in children’s eyes.” Everything beautiful and kind exists in children’s pure eyes. However, in the eyes of these children who are growing up in the shadows of drugs and AIDS/HIV and tortured by poverty and diseases, what we can see is merely sorrow and helplessness.
In view of this situation, with the support of the leaders of the local government, Women’s Federation, Civil Administration Bureau of Liangshan prefecture, appealed by the well-known Norsu(Yi) people who care about the development of Liangshan, varied social fields of Laingshan prefecture unite together and establish a non-profit charity organization―Liangshan Yi Zu(Norsu) Development Center for Women and Children. With the women and children affected by drugs, HIV/AIDS and poverty as the target people, by legally accepting donations from individuals or society and applying for program funds, the center is devoted to the thorough development of Liangshan Norsu(Yi) women and children. The center tries to set up the work net to help women and children and conduct activities of public welfare aiming at capacity-building and right-protecting.
Now the organization construction and personnel training have been finished. The first round of the funds and materials donated by some institutions and individuals have already been fulfilled. The project of aiding the children affected by drugs and HIV/AIDS in Liangshan Norsu(Yi) ethnic minority communities (Sino-American Chamber funds) entrusted by the Research Center for Western Development of Central University for Nationalities is now implemented in Zhuhe and Er’gu in Zhaojue county. The first round of the aiding work for the target group composed of 128 children from 60 poor families is being conducted, including life aiding, educational aiding, producing aiding and medical aiding. Women from these poor families have set up a manufacturing cooperative of Norsu(Yi) handicraft art which has already begun producing goods.
Although we are striving for the cause and have made some accomplishments, there’s still a very long way to go. Many Norsu(Yi) children who need help are still waiting. Funds and materials we can use are so limited that we can not widen the aiding scope. So we appeal to any kindly individual or organization for help so that we can work together to build a harmonious society. We would put together the funds and materials donated by government and society and set these donations as dedicated funds. Representatives from various social fields of Liangshan prefecture would make up of the funds administration committee. Personnel from the Women’s Federation and Liangshan Yi Zu(Norsu) Development Center for Women and Children will found the dedicated project office and manage the specific aiding plans. We are working hard in the hope of aiding 500 orphans (children 15 years old below who have lost parents or one of them and are living without basic life necessities).
On April 30, we would like to hold a charity party and a donation ceremony in Qionghai Hotel. Many famous people from political, commercial and cultural fields of Liangshan and zealous people from Beijing and Chengdu will be invited to the party. We would very much like to invite you, our distinguished guests, to join the party. In addition, the list of all donators will be published through news media. The donator that contributes the most will be granted as “the charitable gentleman” or “the loving lady”. In future, the charity activity like this will be hold every year. We will regularly give a feedback of funds using and materials of the target people being aided. Our work will surely be supervised and audited by donators, administrative organizations and the relevant government organs. Apart from that, we will invite representatives and experts from various fields to make on-the-spot investigations and evaluate the implementation situation of the projects.
Please help us with your warm hands―please save our hometown and save our children!
If you would like to participate in this party, please contact us in advance. We would deeply appreciate your presence.
Contactors in Xichang: Ba Qie Ri Huo, Xiaoxue
Address: Liangshan Yi Zu(Norsu) Development Center for Women and Children,
Sichuan province (No.151 Tucheng Bei Lu, Zhoufupinpeixunzhongxin 6 Lou)
Zip code: 615000
Tel: (0834) 2165998 Mobile: 13092800226
E-mail: xx1115@263.sina.com; lsyzdcwc@163.com
Contactors in Beijing: Hou Yuangao
Address: Ethnology and Sociology School of Central University for Nationalities (No.27 Zhongguancun South Road, Haidian District, Beijing)
Zip code: 100081
Tel: (010) 68934892 Mobile: 13661322422
Fax: (010) 68466568
E-mail: hyg9988@vip.sina.com
Liangshan Yi Zu(Norsu) Development Center for Women and Children
April 18, 2005
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