World Vision China plans to provide vital aid to 61,040 flood-affected villagers and children which will include food grains, child-friendly kits and the reconstruction of houses in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Hunan and Guizhou Provinces after the rainstorms and floods in mid June caused widespread destruction.

After conducting assessments in these three provinces/ regions, World Vision China launched an appeal on (Wednesday) June 20 asking the World Vision Partnership for funds, which enabled the relief team to distribute food grains and child-friendly kits to 8,580 villagers and children in Guizhou, and also rebuild the houses of 2,000 homeless families in the three regions/ provinces.

Another proposal is being submitted to the Hong Kong SAR Government to provide food grains to 50,460 villagers in the three provinces. Distribution is expected to take place in early July.

National Director of World Vision China, Dr Thomas S.T. Chan visited the severely hit Sansui County of Guizhou after declaring this as a priority emergency response and saw the suffering of the flood-affected villagers. Bridges and roads had been badly damaged due to floods and landslides triggered by the heavy rains, at times causing Dr Chan and the assessment team to wade across the roads.

"Many houses were destroyed or even collapsed. Farms are submerged and much of the villagers' food was washed away. They were worried about food supply in the coming months," Dr Chan said.

Thirty-nine-year-old Wu Deming and his brother lived side by side in a village in Sansui County. Both his family of three and his brother's family of four lost their homes to the flash flood, which came at around 9pm on June 8.

"We were very scared as we've never seen such heavy rains! We were not able to secure anything. Our storage of food was gone, and our 5 mu of farmland was submerged. I'm worried if our family will have food," Wu told Dr Chan and the assessment team anxiously.

His face suffered an injury while running away from the flash flood. Fortunately no other family member was injured. The two families are now living in neighbours' homes.

World Vision China is working in partnership with the local governments in Guangxi, Guizhou and Hunan to ensure those who require aid receive it as soon as possible.

"We hope to start distributing the food grains very soon. The flood-affected people need our help," Dr Chan said.

Digital photos from the disaster area are available. For more information or interviews, please contact Jessica Law, Senior Communications Officer at 852-92119303.

For enquiries regarding proposals, funding or donor interest, please contact Ms Meimei Leung, Senior HEA Officer, at 86-1382-1293-179.