Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association relief news update from China.
Across four provinces in southwestern China, more than 50 million farmers have been affected by an epic drought that began in September 2009 and even earlier in some areas.

With 20 million people who have been lacking adequate drinking water, the Chinese government has deployed troops to deliver water to the most affected areas.

Meanwhile, remote area residents cross large distances on foot, sometimes up and down mountains, to fetch water for their families.

Conveying her loving concern and prayers, in March, Supreme Master Ching Hai donated more than US$4,000, and asked that our Association members go help the most in need.

Together with the contributions from our Chinese Association members, the total US$6,600 could obtain approximately US$47,000 in emergency items in the United States, based on China’s cost of living. Covering their own travel expenses, our Chinese relief team rushed with supplies of water and also began building wells in several of the severely-hit villages in Yunnan province.

They then went to Guangxi province’s Bama County, where an absence of rainfall since July 2009 has cost farmers their grain supplies.

Our Association’s relief team purchased both water and grain, which were entrusted to the government to distribute to the residents as the hilly roads were too difficult to deliver the large quantities of supplies directly. As the local officials expressed their thanks for the aid, the next day, a miraculously long and cooling rain arrived for the first time in 9 months.

We thank Heaven for the most needed rain and the Chinese governments for their meaningful assistance to the drought-afflicted - citizens.

Our gratefulness also to Supreme Master Ching Hai for her caring help, as well as our Association’s relief team for their kind efforts.
May the Chinese people soon return to safe and worry-free lives, as we pray for the restoring of the Earth’s resources through our eco-conscious ways.

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-fg-china-drought-20100426,0,2423807.story