April 1998

30th April 1998

Juetuo - Funding News

The UK Methodist Relief and Development Fund have agreed to fund the Juetuo Irrigation and Drinking Water Project introduced last month. Their welcome donation of £5,000 should cover all the costs of this two part project.

Quick Response Projects

The Village group leader from Moduo Village Hamlet 1 reported that their drinking water supply is now connected and the water is sufficient for their needs. He brought a letter of thanks to DORS. This small project was started last month.

Juetuo Village - Women's Rural Credit Scheme Extended

Last month we reported that a new rural credit scheme had been started in Juetuo Village, making loans directly to 60 women in two hamlets of the village. This month, after other women in the village asked to join the scheme, DORS made loans to a further 35 women in the remaining three hamlets. Most of the women chose to raise extra pigs with the loan. Through discussing current pig raising methods we found that many women were interested in receiving training on improved raising. DORS invited the County Animal Husbandry Bureau trainer to Juetuo to explain new methods and giving advice on pig raising.

New Project Seeking Funding

The hamlets that make up Xinli Village are located in a steep mountain ravine near the County border. Drinking water is insufficient during the winter for 325 people in three of the hamlets. Currently local people are using a combination of shallow wells and stream water. This project, designed with the help of the Water Conservancy Bureau, will provide clean drinking water to households utilising two mountain springs piped to water tanks. We are currently seeking funding for this project - approximately £5,000.

Chenhe 3 Zu Villagers Tap Water Connected

The drinking water supply project in Chenhe 3 Zu has now been completed. The 236 people of the village are drinking clean water for the first time. Each house has a tap. Most people said the main benefit was the convenience of having water at their house, rather than having to fetch it in buckets from sources far away. The very severe water shortages in the dry Spring are now a thing of the past. The irrigation part of the project will resume after the maize planting.

Zhang Zheng Yan (Chenhe) with the new tap in her yard