Wish You Safe and Sound

Residents in Xucun Town, Wuyuan County, Jiangxi Province, arrive at the distribution site for relief goods one by one. The residents joyfully greet one another and chat about family matters, even though it is a chilly late autumn day. The vibrant atmosphere at the scene helps to alleviate the chill. Jin Lan, a 45-year-old woman, rides her electric bicycle to the distribution site after organizing her family's affairs.

There are four people in Jin Lan’s family. While the older child is in college and the younger one is in elementary school, she and her husband look after the family's one-acre parcel of land. To make ends meet, the family grows strawberries and dragon fruit.

When continuous downpours in Jiangxi Province's Wuyuan County caused significant floods in June 2022, one of the worst-affected localities was Xucun Town, where Jin Lan lived. "It was pouring a lot at the time, making it difficult for my kids to get to school. On the other hand, I was concerned about the fruits I had grown at home and feared the flood might ruin them." Jin Lan recalls, "What we feared happened. Our family suffered an estimated financial loss of RMB70,000 due to the disaster, and we worked for nothing this year."

World Vision decided to distribute a total of RMB2.23 million in relief materials, including 195 tons of rice and 3,360 boxes of household items, in six severely affected villages and towns in Wuyuan County after learning about the disaster on the ground and actively applying for the Hong Kong SAR Government's Disaster Relief Fund. The donation will help local victims relieve the pressure of daily living. When giving Jiangxi Province a total of RMB3.46 million in charitable contributions after the catastrophic flood hit it in 2020, the Hong Kong SAR government is now supporting the catastrophe victims through World Vision for a second time.

Jin Lan expresses her sincere gratitude after receiving a package of daily essentials and a sack of rice, saying, "We are grateful that the government and World Vision sent us these essential items. Our financial struggles are our main issue because we have no harvest and must still pay for our children's education. The household goods box also includes kitchenware, tableware, blankets, and epidemic prevention supplies, all of which we require daily. Because we have received the rice, we no longer need to purchase additional rice, which lowers our living expenses."

"We are still working to plow up the fields and deal with mud and wet, decaying produce four months after the flooding. I hope there will be fewer natural disasters, and we will all be safe and sound." With a sack of rice and a box of essentials for daily living, Jin Lan rides her electric bicycle back into the wind. Even though life is not easy, she and her husband are still working together to support the family and shelter their two children from the wind and rain.