Prayers to Mourn the Dead in the Yushu Earthquake
Some 70 Tibetans and their British friends joined in for Buddhist prayers at Rigpa Tibetan Buddhist Centre in north London, which was led by Venerable Lelung Rinpoche and Lama Lobsang.
Mr Tsering D Gonkatsang, Chairman of Yushu Earthquake Committee (UK) and Trustee of Tibet Foundation, briefed the gathering about the appropriate steps already taken by the Tibet Foundation to help those affected by the recent Yushu Earthquake that killed over 2000 people.
He said that Tibet Foundation is already in touch with the concerned Chinese authorities including those at the Chinese Embassy in London, Qinghai and Beijing to plan necessary aid and support required on the ground.
Mr Gonkatsang said that Tibet Foundation has already dispatched its Field Officer to coordinate necessary response in consultation with the local authorities. As part of the initial immediate aid response, Tibet Foundation has sent £10,000 but more would be needed following a proper need assessment on the ground.
Tibet Foundation, a UK Charity Registration No. 292400, has set a target of raising GBP 1,000,000 for its Yushu Earthquake Relief Fund. You can make online donations easily at http://www.justgiving.com/Yushu-Earthquake-Relief-Fund or post your cheques (payable to Tibet Foundation) at the following address:
Tibet Foundation
2 St. James’s Market
London SW11 4SB (UK)
Telephone: +44 (0) 207 930 6001
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Website: www.tibet-foundation.org
Yushu Earthquake Update 19th April 2010
Donate online: Justgiving.com / Tibet Foundation donate page
Latest update
Casualty figures reported as of Monday 19th April were 1,706 dead, 256 missing and 12,188 injured and many more missing. Almost all the buildings have either been destroyed or severely damaged, making the whole town uninhabitable. The entire population of some 100,000 people are now living in the open air without adequate shelter in freezing temperatures, below -0 Centigrade.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama is deeply saddened by the effects of the devastating earthquake and on 17th April he issued the following statement:
“I appeal to governments, international aid organisations and other agencies to extend whatever assistance they can to enable the families of those devastated by this tragedy to rebuild their lives." - DALAI LAMA
This morning (Monday 19th April), Tibet Foundation has sent the sum of 100,000RMB (approximately £10,000) to be used for the purchase and provision of any emergency needs of the Earthquake victims as part of our immediate relief work. Our field officer, Sonam Wangchuk, a retired Govt. official who was involved with the relief effort in the same region during the snow storm disaster in 1995 and the Sichuan earthquake disaster in 2008, is once again out there on behalf of Tibet Foundation. He will, in consultation with relevant local authorities and the Sershul Tibetan Hospital, coordinate the relief effort in the coming days, weeks and months according to the urgent needs of the victims that the Government effort cannot adequately address. The Sershul Hospital is itself one of the projects supported and funded by Tibet Foundation since 1996.
Our initial aid effort is just like a drop in the ocean. We need to do much more to help the people of Yushu to rebuild their lives. More importantly, Tibetans in exile with their friends in the West must be seen as not only showing their solidarity with the Tibetans inside Tibet but also be seen as giving practical help when they most need it.
We are very encouraged by the overwhelming expression of sympathy and support from the general public and the keen interest shown by various Tibet-related charities all over the world.
Tibet Foundation has already set up a 'Yushu Earthquake Relief Fund' and a 'Yushu Earthquake Committee' that will invite all UK Tibet-related charities to join and support the relief work. The committee consists of three working members under the chair of Tsering Dhundup Gonkatsang, a trustee of the Tibet Foundation.
Funds raised will be used exclusively for poverty relief, education and healthcare. The Committee will be responsible for the accounting of the funds, making the work of the committee transparent and producing progress reports. Tibet Foundation, with three of its trustees, will supervise, execute and coordinate the relief work with the relevant Chinese authorities in London, Beijing and Yushu.
It is our strong belief that a disaster of this scale requires both immediate and long-term coordinated plans to support the people of Yushu. This evening (19th April) the Foundation has invited all UK Tibet-related organizations for an emergency meeting.
For the long term, Tibet Foundation aims to be able to help rebuild schools and medical clinics and to provide support to the people of Yushu where it is most needed. This is an earnest wish that we hope can be realized by pulling together all our energies, efforts and resources. We need cooperation and support from all the Tibet-related charities and their members and supporters.
Your support is urgently needed
Donate online
Tibet Foundation - donate online
Justgiving.com - donate online
Bank transfers
Please send your donation to Tibet Foundation.
Account Name: Tibet Foundation
Account No: 00319945
Sort Code: 30-97-81
BIC: LOYDGB21034
IBAN: GB71 LOYD 3097 8100319945
Bank Name: Lloyds TSB PLC
Address: Southampton row Branch
Lloyds TSB Bank Plc
PO Box 1000, BX1 1LT
Donate by cheque
Please make your cheque payable to Tibet Foundation (Yushu Earthquake) and send it to:
Tibet Foundation, 2 St. James's Market, London, SW1Y 4SB, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 207 930 6001
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Tibet Foundation
Tibet Foundation has worked in the earthquake affected area for the past 18 years undertaking a variety of aid projects benefitting the local population. It has also undertaken emergency relief work during the Snow Disaster in Sershul in Sichuan province and Yushu in Qinghai province in the winter of 1995; for the Tsunami victims in south India in 2005; and most recently during the Sichuan Earthquake in China in 2008 and the Bihar Flood disaster in India in the same year. Tibet Foundation has received praise in the past from both the people and the authorities for its various relief and aid programmes. Tibet Foundation can be trusted to deliver the aid as intended to the victims of the Earthquake Disaster in Yushu and its surrounding areas.
URGENT EMERGENCY APPEAL - Kyekudo (Yushu) Earthquake
You may have already heard the sad news of the devastating earthquake (a 6.9 magnitude) this morning at 07.49 (23.49 GMT) in Yushu (Kyedudo in Tibetan) in the northwest Province of Qinghai. This news has been widely broadcast on Chinese television and by the BBC.
View more images of this tragic event at our flickr photo gallery
Yushu County is 800km (500 miles) southwest of the provincial capital Xining. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region in the west and Kandze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the east.
Having worked in this region in the past, Tibet Foundation is familiar with the area and is already in contact with local people and local authorities. Ninety percent of the population there is ethnic Tibetan. The area is one of the poorest and remotest regions in the country with very inadequate communication and infrastructure.
The powerful tremor struck around 8 am local time followed by several other quakes, destroying or damaging almost all the houses, also school buildings, medical clinics and hospitals in the county capital, Kyekudo. Information regarding nearby areas is not available at the moment due to landslides and the breakdown of telecommunications. The official report of casualties states that some 400 are dead and thousands more injured. The unofficial and unconfirmed news from local people is three times greater than this.
The Chinese government has a good record of responding efficiently to such emergencies. The government and the Chinese Red Cross have already sent officials to assess the situation. Due to the remoteness of the region and poor infrastructure it could be a very challenging task.
We are directly in touch with some local people and local officers, and the Foundation representative in the nearby Kandze Prefecture is coordinating our assessment of the situation. Your help is most urgently needed for the Tibetans in the region. Whatever support you can give towards immediate assistance for medicine, clothing and food, and also long-term support for rebuilding schools and health clinics, would be very much appreciated. All funds raised by Tibet Foundation will go immediately to the people in need with no intermediary agencies.
Please, we urgently request you to help the Tibetans in Kyekudo affected by this devastating earthquake. We assure you that whatever amount you can offer, however large or small, will go directly to assisting the people in Kyekudo.
Your support is urgently needed
Donate online
Tibet Foundation - donate online
Justgiving.com - donate online
Bank transfers
Please send your donation to Tibet Foundation.
Account Name: Tibet Foundation
Account No: 00319945
Sort Code: 30-97-81
BIC: LOYDGB21034
IBAN: GB71 LOYD 3097 8100319945
Bank Name: Lloyds TSB PLC
Address: Southampton row Branch
Lloyds TSB Bank Plc
PO Box 1000, BX1 1LT
Donate by cheque
Please make your cheque payable to Tibet Foundation (Yushu Earthquake) and send it to:
Tibet Foundation, 2 St. James's Market, London, SW1Y 4SB, United Kingdom
Tel: +44 207 930 6001
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Our thanks to you in anticipation of your immediate and generous response.
