Responding quickly to the 6.4 magnitude earthquake in Ning'er County in Yunnan Province, aid and development agency World Vision arrived in the stricken region on June 4. The international organisation is providing tents to homeless villagers and school tents to students and teachers whose lives were significantly affected by the damage caused by the quake, so they may return to some normality in the aftermath.

Apart from tents and school tents, World Vision also plans to distribute food grains and quilts to help communities severely in need at this time and also delivered a number of child friendly kits to many children including toys, to help them resume some regular play activities at this difficult time.

Li Chunan, 12, wanted to return to school as soon as possible. However his school was badly damaged and classes were suspended to an unknown date. His home was also buried under heaps of mud and rocks as a result of a mudslide triggered by the earthquake.

Li's father and elder sister have since gone back to their crushed home in the hopes of rescuing some buried food. Even though the government distributes food and water regularly, the road to rebuilding their lives and their home again is long. The need for food and water is a big worry to the family of four.

Latest information from the government of Pu'er City shows that more than 90,000 houserooms collapsed, and another 120,000 were badly damaged. Infrastructure including electrical, water and communication systems, roads, bridges, schools, clinics and hospitals also suffered damages of varying degree. Economic losses are estimated at about RMB 2.5 billion (USD 338 million).

More than 530,000 people were affected by the quake. Three people were reported dead and 313 injured. Among them, 28 were seriously hurt. Many villagers are now living in the open struggling for even the basic amenities including food, water, clothing and medication. Their hope lies in rebuilding and returning to their homes, but the possibility of this is still a long way off.

For further information, please contact Jonathan Su, Area Facilitator of Yunnan/ Xinjiang Area Office (assessment team leader) at 86-138-8857-7425 or Jessica Law, Senior Communications Officer at 852-9211-9303.

In the Asia Pacific Regional Office please contact Andrea Russell, Relief and Crisis Communications Manager on 0091 9989 238 223 or andrea_russell@wvi.org