Following the horrific events of May 12, 2008, members of the Hands On Shanghai team have made a commitment to support the long term redevelopment of the areas affected by the earthquake. With many lives lost, houses destroyed, children injured, and communities shaken, we will work with the government agencies and NGOs to bring a long term impact to the
communities.

With our strength being volunteer management, our goal will be to recruit, train, and manage volunteers at many levels, to develop community leaders through our volunteer leadership program, engage students and corporations to leverage their capabilities, and work with local NGOs to develop their capacity.

With that, we have established this website as a first step to:

1) Provide a place where volunteers in the affected areas, in cities around China, and around the world can register themselves and provide our NGO partners with a qualified pool of volunteers

2) Advertise and manage the volunteer needs of government agencies and NGOs who are working within various levels of the community to comfort the injured, build schools,

3) Volunteer project scheduling - we will be providing a platform to schedule volunteers in affected cities, townships, and villages.

4) Facilitating financial and product donations to NGOs and government donations in need

5) Provide a forum for announcements and news from affected areas, a place for volunteers to learn about how to help, and provide a discussion forum for NGOs to discuss with each other their needs and how to best service their communities.

In great times of need like this, it is important to understand that the process is not a fast one, and while at time it requires patience, everyone is doing all they can. Hands On personally commends the efforts of those who are currently working in the area, and our thoughts are with the people who lives, families, and communities have been affected by this horrible event.

To learn more about how to volunteer as an individual, corporation, or as a student group, please go here.

If you are an NGO or government agency who needs volunteers (short or long term), please go here

Hands on China offers its deepest condolences to the communities, families, and children who have been affected, and we want you to know that we will be there to support you long term. Hands On, and its volunteers, will make a commitment to do everything we can to assist you rebuild your lives, your schools, and your committees.

At this time, Hands On Chengdu is only accepting applications from NGO and volunteers and will not begin scheduling needs for a minimum of 2 weeks. If you are an unskilled volunteer who wants to go to the site, we highly encourage you not to do so alone or without an invitation from a local government agency or NGO. there are currently many unskilled volunteers in the area that are largely unmanaged and we are being asked by government agencies and NGOs to discourage those who wish to fly into the area without first having an invitation.

Through its previous Disaster relief experience in areas like New Orleans, the Philippines, and Florida, the Hands On Network organization recognized early that the recovery and rebuilding efforts following the 5.12 earthquake in the Sichuan Province of China would require an innovative and long term effort to support those affected.
The Hands On Chengdu ‘Community Flowers’ project was born from a simple idea - that shipping containers are strong, sturdy, safe, easily moved, and can be fitted out easily to provide support facilities. We began working with Shanghai based SMC ALSOP, supported by ARUP, RFR and ACL to look at how to take 4 to 6 used shipping containers to build a place for the community.

Through this process in Shanghai, and with the completion of our assessment trip and discussions with local government officials, we have developed a model that will provide a space for people of affected areas to receive treatment, be entertained, continue their education, and rebuild their communities.

At the same time, unlike many donation appeals, Hands On has developed this program keeping in mind our core strength in managing volutneers, and that being a part of this program moves beyond writing a check. By getting you and your firm involved in this community rebuilding process, you will be participating in a truly holistic program that connects your firm to the rebuilding efforts in a way that employees, clients, and the community not just see in the paper, but see everyday.
To learn more about this program, please download our brochure, and then email Rich Brubaker rich@handsonchengdu.org to find out how you can get involved today.
To learn more about Hands on Chengdu, go to www.handsonchengdu.org