Dec 07 / Jan 08

31st January 2008

Chenhe Village
Demonstration Stoves Project
Recently DORS once again visited Chenhe village in Xixi  township to do a baseline study.  This was after receiving women’s cadre Chen Guixiu’s request to construct fuel-efficient stoves.

DORS started implementing projects in Chenhe much earlier, and completed projects include: Hamlets 2, 3, and 6 drinking water projects, irrigation channel repair, primary school playground and protective wall repair, introducing a new variety of bull, women’s microcredit loans, social forestry, and participatory methods training, as well as forestry training. This time visiting the village was to see just how interested the villagers were in constructing fuel-efficient stoves, how far they have to walk to collect firewood, and how much firewood they burn, as well as the amount of damage to the forests by this cutting, in order to confirm whether or not this village is suitable for starting this project.

Chenhe village was originally a village that primarily burned coal, but since the surrounding coal mines successively closed, the coal price continually rose, and now villagers have started to use firewood as their main energy source—and the amount required is ever increasing.  The majority of villagers don’t know the advantages of fuel-efficient stoves, previously never having heard any information on them. After discussing with villagers and considering these factors, we decided to construct demonstration fuel-efficient stoves first in hamlets 2, 3, and 4 where the fuel-cutting rate is very high. The above picture is the kind of old stove commonly in use in the village.

The project has already begun, on January 16.  Wanjia Village’s Mr. Lei Xiang, mentioned in newsletter No. 79 for his good technique and creative work, will train villagers in fuel-efficient stoves technology.  Because there are not many villagers in Chenhe with good basics in cement work, only Mr. Lan Guojian will study it.  DORS and the villagers signed a contract for the implementation of the project.

Daying Village
Forestry Training
Jan. 20th DORS’ technical engineer Bai Shihai went to teach wintertime tree management to the households involved in the demonstration forestry project. Besides helping villagers master the theoretical knowledge they needed to know for winter tree management, acording to many years’ experience, Mr. Bai emphatically explained the effectiveness of lime and sulphur for preventing disease, plus demonstrated how to combine them. Five villagers who attended the training expressed the sentiment that this kind of training is a big help to them. Of these one demonstration household—Li Yude’s—previously attended DORS’ 2003 and 2004 large forestry training sessions.

Wanlin Village
Livestock watering and drinking water project
In November DORS staff went to this village to do a site survey and needs analysis of this potential project village.  A water project is what villagers most desired to have.  December 10-12th DORS’ Mr. Bai and Yang Fangyuan went to the village to do a baseline study.  They visited many households in different hamlets, and chose certain households to survey, and in hamlet 3’s hamlet leader’s house conducted a large village meeting.  There they came to understand villagers’ thoughts on a water project, and listened to other requests they had.  At the same time we and villagers together summarized the damage to and insufficiencies of the old water system.  DORS has completed this project’s planning.  When the village finishes electing its new leaders and the local temperature rises enough to be suitable, we hope to start this project.  Left picture is Mr. Bai checking a water pipe and testing the flow rate.

World Wildlife Federation(WWF)
At the end of December, DORS’ vice-director Guo Yumei went to Chengdu to meet with WWF’s Mrs. Shao Wen.  WWF plans to start work in Ma’anshan Nature Preserve in Ganluo County.  Because of nature protection and community development’s special relationship, WWF and DORS can share respective experience and draw from each’s resources to work together.  In the middle of January, according to these thoughts, DORS staff went to Ganluo to meet with WWF’s staffmember in charge of cooperative projects, the Nature Preserve director and vice-director, and other staff.  They came to understand the details of the nature preserve’s situation currently, as well as surrounding communities’ development plans.  If conditions permit, DORS, WWF, and the nature preserve would cooperate to do some energy and community development projects in the communities surrounding the nature preserve.
 
DORS Donation News
At the beginning of January, DORS successively received Mrs. Joanna Xu and her mother’s packages of roughly 1300 children’s reading books.  After careful sorting DORS delivered the first batch of 530 books to Daling Township Central School.  This school and two village schools under it will have a mobile library system to share the books.  Those remaining will be given to Shiquan and Daying Village Schools.
This is Mrs. Xu’s second donation.  We greatly thank Joanna and her mother and Beijing Fendou Primary School’s children and teachers who participated in the donation. 

DORS News and Information
DORS recently participated in the third round of the Sichuan Youth Volunteer Program. In December Zhang Guangtao officially joined DORS as a project volunteer, and started his one year contract. Wang Zhifang accompanied him attending Sichuan Youth Volunteer Program’s first training.

January 18th, DORS vice-director Guo Yumei attended the Community Development Study and Planning conference held by Hong Kong Partners for Community Development in Guangzhou.  This conference was primarily for NGOs working in rural communities, but also invited some Taiwan social universities’ representatives.  They discussed community culture and the relationship between achieving culture consciousness and community self-sufficiency.
 
Lunar New Year is almost here.  Heartfelt thanks to everyone whose care and support for DORS and rural development helps us go further and develop steadily.  All of DORS here wishes you and yours a Healthy And Happy New Year!