This summer in 500-1000 volunteers from around China are raising money to come to the province where the earthquake hit.  These volunteers are eager to assist the survivors.  Love and help is what they will bring.  However, they do not bring experience.  So, the organizer of the volunteers asked the GAiN staff specialist in disaster response to come in and train the volunteer leaders so that they could train the volunteers in how to help.

For four days, the GAiN disaster specialist took them through a very basic but very intense course on disaster response, specific to this disaster. He briefed them on how to do an assessment of needs. The volunteer leaders trained on safety in the field as well as crisis management and contingency planning (in the event of another earthquake).  They briefed on how to brief and de-brief teams.  They trained in how to work with the government and the local leaders.  They trained in compassionate listening in a way that does not re-traumatize the survivors (a pretty common mistake when people who aren’t professionals try to do counseling).  They trained in appropriate ways to distribute aid without causing a riot using Jesus model of feeding the 5000 as the model (this same model is what the UN High Commission of Refugees recommends not coincidentally).   They looked at the spiritual dynamic of disaster and wrestled with why these kinds of events like the earthquake happen from a Christian perspective.

The volunteer leaders then went through exercises in establishing and implementing ways to help.  Together they evaluated the data and came back with recommendations of how to help and each idea was tested by the GAiN disaster specialist to ensure that it was appropriate in this situation.

Based on their and other assessments, these were areas that the volunteers will focus on.

  • Distributing plastic covering to waterproof the tents
  • Distributing school supplies and mosquito coils.
  • Distributing coal for cooking.
  • Setting up someone in the area to make wheelbarrows for the survivors to clear rubble and re-build.
  • Distributing shovels and sledgehammers for clearing rubble and re-building.
  • Compassionate listening while there with as they interact with the survivors.

 But the main other strategic goal that came out of discussions revolved around the two biggest needs we found.  This will be discussed in our next blog.