September 1999

30th September 1999

Moduo Drinking Water Supply

A new project is underway in Moduo Village of Yongli Township. Mr Deng, the hamlet leader of Moduo Hamlet 1, was so grateful to DORS for assisting his hamlet install a drinking water supply last year that he offered to manage a new project to supply water to the other 8 hamlets of Moduo Village, with a population of over 1000. The existing water supply is insufficient for drinking water requirements particularly during winter, due to a naturally low winter supply and seriously exacerbated by leaking pipes. Mr Deng has designed the new system with assistance from DORS and other Moduo villagers, with technical advice from the County Water Conservancy Bureau. Nine separate mountain stream sources will be used, with piping to nine small reservoir tanks located above the houses. The leaking branch piping to households will be replaced.

A donation from the Methodist Relief and Development Fund is supporting this project.

Above Zhang Qi Feng, of Moduo Hamlet 7, said her family was prepared to provide labour towards the building of an improved water supply.

Continuing Education for Children in Hanyuan

The new autumn semester began this month. DORS is supporting 159 children from the poorest families in nine villages to continue their education. Partial or full school fees are paid by DORS depending on the individual circumstances of the children's families, with the aim of ensuring all the primary age children in DORS project villages are able to complete six years primary education. Total expenditure this semester was 32,951 RMB or 2,535 GBP.

Social and Community Forestry

DORS is ready to begin experimental projects in forestry after the arrival this month of Adam Grant, a social and community forester. Adam will work with DORS as a volunteer for one year.

Thanks to...

Fisher Scientific, Loughborough, UK We would like to thank Lyn Underwood at Fisher Scientific for the company's kind donation of essential soil testing equipment.

Newton Rigg College National School of Forestry, UK Also many thanks go to Chris Starr, Mike Jones and Gavin Jordan at Newton Rigg College National School of Forestry for their donation of equipment and generous offer of advice to DORS future social forestry projects.