June 2000

30th June 2000

Milling Machinery Helps Ease Villagers' Burden and Frees up their Time

DORS has recently supplied milling equipment to two villages, Moduo hamlet 1 and Huodi hamlet 3 and 4. Neither place had their own facilities for villagers to process the various crops they produce, such as maize, buckwheat, and soyabeans. Villagers were carrying their produce some distance to the nearest milling machine. This round trip would take several hours each week, carrying a heavy back-basket full of grain. DORS received separate requests from these two villages for assistance. Having got the equipment, which cost around £350 per set, the villagers discussed and decided a contract for one household to manage and maintain the machinery. All families in the hamlets will be able to use the new facilities, making small contributions towards maintenance and running costs each time they use them.

The new grain processing equipment will free up several hours of each families' time each week, as well as ending the need to carry heavy loads of grain several kilometres to the nearest mill.

Fuyou Village Drinking Water Supply Project - Contract Signed

The village of Fuyou lies on a gently sloping plateau high above the gorge of the Dadu River. There are six separate water supply systems serving the five hamlets of Fuyou, each using a separate spring source on the hillside behind the village. The village did have a water supply system which villagers installed themselves 10 years ago. The piping used in this old system is unsuitable for a drinking water supply. The poor quality of the piping meant the system is failing to provide sufficient water to the hamlets.

DORS have helped Fuyou to draw up the designs for a new drinking water supply. The plans went through several revisions, until they were acceptable to the villagers and approved by the local water department's engineers. A contract has been drawn up between DORS and the village for the supply of high-quality piping and other materials. This project has been made possible by funding from the British Embassy's Small Grants Scheme.

New Volunteers

DORS have taken on a forestry volunteer, Guo Yumei, to work with our social and community forester Adam Grant. Guo Yumei is a local woman from Jiuxiang in Hanyuan County. She recently graduated from Sichuan Forestry College.

DORS are seeking a further volunteer to join our team in Hanyuan. Please e-mail rose@dors.org.uk for details.