DORS History

1997:  Implemented projects in 7 villages.  3111 person-instances benefited.
Projects included women’s microcredit, education, women’s training, and water projects.

1998:  Implemented projects in 9 villages, helped 1230 families.  Nearly 5000 person-instances benefited.

1999:  Implemented projects in 11 villages.  Supported or partially supported school feesfor 157 children.  Over 300 women took out loans from DORS.  Running water projects for homes, livestock and irrigation were implemented in 8 villages and 2472 villager-instances benefited, at a cost of on average 8 British pounds per person.  Rebuilt two schools.
NEW:  Social and community forestry

2000:  Implemented projects in 16 villages.  We started supporting forestry projects in 7 villages (including forestry training), and in this year planted 700,000 seedlings.  We continued supporting over 200 students and the same of women’s loans.  We completed 5 villages’ water projects.
NEW:  We started an integrated project in Nimei township.
Media:  DORS received the most media attention this year of any year, so DORS’ influence on development started to increase.
Government:  Through the publicity given by the Poverty Alleviation Office and Sichuan Provincial Government, we were deemed a model for community development.

2001:  NEW:  DORS expanded its work to Ganluo county.  Project villages expanded to 19.  DORS began implementing integrated community development projects, with funding from Kadoorie Foundation.  The organization’s Strategic Plan turned over to the next three-year plan.  We turned more emphasis to capacity-building, or increasing communities’ abilities to develop themselves.  Training:  Capacity-building—17 villages’ 49 villagers attended a participatory methods project management training class, with Canadian Civil Society supporting the project.

2002:  DORS continued to work in Hanyuan and Ganluo, with project villages expanding to 21.  According to DORS’ decision to expand its strategic aims, we helped other organizations working in rural areas.  DORS also hosted observance, study and training classes, and actively increased its outside communication.

2003:  Project villages expanded to 22.

2004:  Project villages expanded to 26.
We established a Ganluo office, completed 6 villages’ integrated projects (supported by Kadoorie), and began 4 new project villages.  We completed MRDF-supported forestry projects, which had been in progress the previous two-plus years, evaluated them and hosted two large-scale forestry trainings.
We started 4 villages’ integrated community development projects supported by Misereor.

2005:  Project villages expanded to 29.
DORS started implementing 3-year period projects supported by Misereor Social Development Foundation, composed of several village-level integrated projects.  In addition to the originally chosen 7 villages, DORS chose 3 more.  In this year DORS also began an integrated project in Shiquan village.

2006, 2007:  Total project villages are expanded to 37 (Hanyuan 29, Ganluo 8).
DORS continued work on the Misereor-supported 7 villages and Shiquan village.

2008:  Total project villages expanded to 41 as of September 11.  2004-2008 Misereor project completed; Maping designated the second village to be supported by Xiong Darun; May 12 earthquake (see Recent News), causing DORS’ work to become more earthquake relief than pure poverty relief for a time.  Initial funding for a third Misereor project (four villages) received.