Shiquan Village, Hanyuan 2006-2008

Xiong Darun, an astronomer from Nanjing, donated 100,000 RMB for an integrated project in Shiquan Village. The second installment of 50,000 RMB was donated in November 2006. Some other income was received towards the project in terms of villager contributions, and also the collected contributions of friends of Mr. Xiong.

Shiquan Village is situated in Nimei Yi Nationality Township. Shiquan has a total of 67 households and population of 267, half of which are Han Chinese and half are Yi. It takes two hours by car from Fulin to Shiquan, via Guixian and Dawei, followed by one hour on foot. The elevation is between 1500 and 1800 meters. Hamlet 1 has the lowest elevation. At the time of the baseline study, the whole village economy was mediocre, but living conditions in Hamlet 5 and 6 were quite poor.

The projects carried out in Shiquan Village include forestry, roads, livestock, water, school rebuilding, fuel-efficient stoves, cementing village paths, and income-generation. The new school is one of the obvious changes brought by the programme. Now students can study in a warm, bright and safe room and all through the winter. There are also more students attending, and they no longer have to walk many miles to the nearest safe school, which were the primary reasons for dropping out.

The Shiquan project is funded by Mr. Xiong Darun and associates 2006-2008