Half the Sky update on China weather crisis

From Jenny Bowen, exec director of Half the Sky:
"You are phenomenal!

I feel so honored to be a part of what has become a worldwide effort to help the children through this terrible time. We have not had a chance to put a number on your commitment to the children but it’s already far beyond what I imagined just a few days ago when I told you what we had learned about their plight. You are proving beyond doubt that the world cares about China’s orphans.
The weather gave us all a bit of respite today. Together with our friends at the Ministry of Civil Affairs, we’ve been talking to the institutions in the hardest hit areas and have posted a longer list of needs on our website at ttp://www.halfthesky.org/work/littlemouse.php The list is too long to email now. Many of you have asked, so I’ve begun also posting anticipated costs for the relief effort at each site, as we begin to get estimates."

Altantic Monthly article about Poverty in China

Since I plugged Half the Sky, it's fitting I do an entry about poverty in China. In the current Atlantic Monthly, there's a detailed article about why much of China lives in poverty...with some disturbing correlations with rich American lifestyle. In a possibly oversimplified summary: China has a ton of money in their national savings...but the public never sees it in infrastructure or care of the population. To keep national growth from running away uncontrollably, they invest their savings largely US Treasury notes. Here is the article:

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200801/fallows-chinese-dollars

...and here are some interesting quotes:
"Chinese leaders have deliberately held down living standards for their own people and propped them up in the United States. This is the real meaning of the vast trade surplus—$1.4 trillion and counting, going up by about $1 billion per day—that the Chinese government has mostly parked in U.S. Treasury notes. In effect, every person in the (rich) United States has over the past 10 years or so borrowed about $4,000 from someone in the (poor) People’s Republic of China. "

"Some Chinese people are rich, but China as a whole is unbelievably short on many of the things that qualify countries as fully developed. Shanghai has about the same climate as Washington, D.C.—and its public schools have no heating. (Go to a classroom when it’s cold, and you’ll see 40 children, all in their winter jackets, their breath forming clouds in the air.) "

"Better schools, more-abundant parks, better health care, cleaner air and water, better sewers in the cities—you name it, and if it isn’t in some way connected to the factory-export economy, China hasn’t got it, or not enough. ...The average cash income for workers in a big factory is about $160 per month. On the farm, it’s a small fraction of that. Most people in China feel they are moving up, but from a very low starting point."

Half the Sky needs immediate help! (Snow/ice disaster in China)

OK, usually you will see me writing about public policy and poverty, but there is a crisis going on right now that is very close to my heart, so I will put out an appeal. Extreme weather conditions in China have affected millions of people as travel, phone and power have been interrupted during a time of heavy snow and ice. As usual, the poorest segment of the population is suffering the most as food and supplies are causing lack of food, drinking water, fuel, etc. And as usual, orphaned children are among the most vulnerable people. The facilities of Half the Sky (the amazing organization that cares for thousands of China's orphaned children) are in danger.

Please consider going to

www.halfthesky.org

to donate to the "Little Mouse Emergency Fund" set up to assist with this terrible disaster. Here now are
some words from Jenny Bowen, executive director of Half the Sky:

"Welfare institutions in south and central China are having the hardest time dealing with the weather disaster. This part of the country is simply not equipped to deal with extreme cold or heavy snow and ice. The most common critical problems are power outages, lack of safe drinking and cooking water, lack of fuel, diapers and public transportation. In many places where buses have stopped running, our Half the Sky nannies have been walking hours (in one case, 4 hours) along icy roads to get to the children. As conditions worsen, our nannies and teachers are remaining at the institutions day and night. They have given up the idea of going home to their own families for the holidays. They need quilts. They need warm clothing. They need coal, water, disposable diapers and food.

Latest reports tell us that this weather is likely to continue for another 10 days.

Because local governments are overwhelmed by the situation, it seems that there is, in many places, no relief beyond what we can provide. We have not been able to find news of any international relief organizations working on the ground although the China Red Cross is apparently providingsome meals to stranded motorists.

As it is impossible to get new supplies of goods to the markets, costs of basic necessities are doubling, even tripling in some cases. We are now working with the Ministry of Civil Affairs (which has the responsibility of dealing with natural disasters nation-wide) to determine which institutions outside the HTS community need our help as well. We will continue funding the costs of basic goods until the money runs out.

We can’t ship the necessary diapers, blankets, clothing, food ourselves. There is no transport that can get through right now. We will continue working to find a way. In the meantime, we are wiring funds where banks remain open. Where banks are closed, we are guaranteeing reimbursement to any citizen who funds thepurchase of needed goods for the children.

We’ve now placed a special “Little Mouse” button on our home page which will take you right to the
fund page or you can get there by clicking http://give.halfthesky.org/prostores/servlet/Categoriescategory=Little+Mouse+Emergency+Fund
Donations are tax-deductible in US, Canada and Hong Kong."