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St. Andrew's-Sewanee Faculty Family Involved in Sichuan Quake Relief

2008-06-30 10:38:37

It has been a year since Chinese instructor Bob Edwards took a group of SAS students on a tour of China, including a lengthy stay in the his wife's hometown of Chengdu, just 50 miles from the epicenter of the 7.9 earthquake which struck Sichuan Province on May 12. While in Chengdu the SAS students visited Yang Yangchu Engineering School in Dujiangyan, a technical school that serves 317 students from rural Sichuan. The SAS students played soccer, ping-pong and basketball with the students from Yang Yangchu.

On May 12, the day of the quake, Yang Yangchu celebrated graduation ceremonies and just hours before the quake, many of their students departed campus. The ensuing quake and aftershocks left 70,000 dead, 17,000 still missing, and millions homeless. Many of the fatalities occurred in area schools that crumbled during the tremors. Although Yang Yangchu escaped the fatalities that many school's in the region suffered, most of their campus was destroyed. Now Mr. Edwards, his wife Jan Zhan-Edwards, and the U.S. China People's Friendship Association of Chattanooga are working to help rebuild the school.

“For me it’s very personal (to see how devastated the school is after the earthquake)," said Mrs. Zhan-Edwards who grew up in nearby Chengdu and returns there each year to visit her family. "I had just seen how happy the students were last year, but suddenly their life has been shattered.”

The Edwardses are involved with the Chattanooga chapter of the U.S.-China People’s Friendship Association. The group is hoping to contribute to the relief effort in Sichuan Province by helping to raise funds to rebuild schools. "The recent earthquake has brought our hearts back to this school in Dujiangyan," said Mrs. Zhan-Edwards. "The pictures we received describe the horrible scene of the school after the earthquake. It’s heartbreaking to see how much damage the disaster has done to the students and the school. If we can rebuild the school, we can help the area because every society needs education.”

About 30 refugees are sheltered on the Yang Yangchu campus and many of the students and teachers suffered losses at home. According to Mrs. Zhan-Edwards, "They are struggling to put their shattered lives back together, at the same time, to get the buildings in a shape to receive the students in coming school year."

If you would like more information about the efforts of the Edwardses and the U.S. China People's Friendship Association, go to www.dujiangyandiary.org.

To learn more about the teachers at SAS, and the school itself, go to St. Andrew's-Sewanee School.

Posted by lina