Relief and Rehabilitation

Global climate change has led to frequent and more severe natural disasters in many places. The destruction and harm it brings often has lasting impact on families and children, and causes the loss of health and lives.  According to a report by the Ministry of Emergency Management, there were 33 times of heavy rainfall in the country in 2020, with an average precipitation of 689.2 mm. This is 11.2% above the average and the third highest rainfall since 1961. The State Council also focuses on disaster risks and threats. This is reflected in the Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Promoting Rural Revitalization and Accelerating Agricultural and Rural Modernization issued in 2021, which emphasizes on “(24)... to strengthen the emergency management and fire safety systems at the county, township and village levels, effectively implement risk assessments, monitoring and early warnings, and emergency responses to events such as natural disasters, public health, and hidden safety hazards”.

World Vision works with communities to counter the threat of climate change. We equip families, children and communities in disaster prevention and mitigation, this includes assessing disaster risk and planning action plans together with them. We support trainings about disaster, escape and self-rescue. We also help them establish emergency warning mechanisms that consist of designing emergency plans, issuing early warnings, conducting drills, providing equipment and teaching them how to handle and maintain these equipment. Community members and children who participate can then share the impact of this program, and pass on the knowledge they have gained to their peers.

Our Approach

• Distribute relief aid: We provide food, education material, daily necessities, hygiene kits, shelter and other relief items to those affected by disaster.  
• Psychosocial support activities: We work with reputable technical experts to organize and carry out psychosocial support activities for children, adults and relief workers, to support their well-being and ability to cope with stress.
• Early recovery and rehabilitation: We support livelihood recovery, as well as the reconstruction of school facilities, houses and infrastructure.
• Disaster preparedness: We integrate disaster preparedness into our long term development work, encourage community participation and equip parents, caregivers, children and vulnerable groups to respond to disasters.
• Disaster prevention and mitigation: We support work to clear land for afforestation, plant grass to control erosion, construct ditches, river embankment and other water conservancy projects, carry out school and community-oriented disaster prevention and mitigations programs such as drills, raise awareness and install suitable equipment in schools. 

Disasters that World Vision has responded to in 2017 – 2019:

Emergency Response and Relief
In June 2022, World Vision's disaster assessment teams visited Wuyuan and Ganxian in Jiangxi Province to understand the needs of people who were hit by floods. In early July, with the help of local partners, World Vision donated CNY 200,000 worth of supplies, including 1,800 bags of rice and 1,800 barrels of cooking oil, to 1,800 families in Wuyuan and Ganxian, helping a total of 9,365 people.

Disaster Risk Reduction and Preparedness
Under the 20^th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, one of the priorities to enhance public safety governance is to reduce disaster risk. Prioritizing prevention would decrease losses caused by disasters. World Vision focuses on helping communities improve their disaster risk reduction capacity. 

In 2022, World Vision China continued collaborating with local NGOs, academics and professionals to support communities in enhancing their disaster risk reduction knowledge, risk assessment, and self-protection. We conducted this training for 149,180 people in Shannxi, Guizhou, and Hebei provinces. 

COVID-19 Response

In 2022, our COVID-19 Response reached 8,408 people across all our operation areas. 5,526 children including 706 girls, have improved access to water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities in their schools such as toilets, shower rooms，handwashing stations, and drinking water systems. 

1,256 child social workers received the Child Protection in Emergency Manual, which explained children's vulnerabilities exacerbated by ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks and imposed restrictions. This manual will help social workers identify and respond to the unique needs of children that arose during the pandemic.