(April 20, 2010) Upon arriving early in the morning of April 17th, One Foundation's rescue alliance team set up temporary camp at its makeshift materials hub at Jiegu Town. Soon the team members threw themselves wholeheartedly into work. Notwithstanding that the ‘golden’ 72 hours had passed, One Foundation’s rescue team did not give up on searching for survivors. Even as they were busy dispensing quake-relief materials, the team members were wasting no time in search operations together with joint rescue teams consisting of Chengdu’s firefighting and civil defense forces and the People’s Liberation Army.

The impending rain and snow meant that the disaster victims in Yushu were in an even more difficult situation. One Foundation's rescue alliance team members put their experience garnered from participating in the Wenchuan Earthquake to good use, and feverishly took part in every aspect of rescue and relief efforts in a race against time:

Distribution of relief materials and building of temporary tents for victims: Once the rescue alliance team had arrived at Yushu, the members immediately undertook coordination work for the relief materials shipped by One Foundation, by helping to sort out, re-pack, transport and distribute them. Since the local volunteers were unfamiliar with the setting up of temporary tents, the team members helped them in numerous locations so that victims could be re-located before poor weather set in.

Search for survivors: Members of One Foundation’s rescue team who had participated in rescue efforts for Wenchuan Earthquake applied their experience in rescue and professional skills and worked with government rescue forces to help search for survivors; formulate rescue plans and undertake rescue. They also helped to re-locate the earthquake victims.

Recovering materials and personal belongings from quake-stricken buildings and houses: The earthquake took place before the local weather turned for the worse. Thus rescue workers needed to recover Tibetan drugs and pharmaceuticals buried under the rubble before poor weather arrived. One Foundation’s rescue team collaborated with Sichuan Ziyang Military Region’s rescue corps and successfully recovered Tibetan drugs worth more than RMB 50 million from the second floor of the Tibetan hospital. All the recovered drugs were securely covered in tarpaulin. The rescue team also recovered medical equipment placed on the ground floor of the collapsed hospital.

Dispensing advice on dealing with altitude sickness: It must be noted that a person who persists in displaying altitude sickness symptoms for 6 hours will be at risk of losing his/her life. Yet not many people who take part in high-altitude rescue are well versed in dealing with altitude sickness. In fact, many of the armed police force nearby One Foundation’s rescue camp showed signs of altitude sickness, with some beginning to be delirious. The rescue alliance team members were able to help many of them by lowering their temperature; providing with oxygen equipment and glucose water. They also dispensed tips on observing and dealing with altitude sickness.

Consoling and helping quake victims: The earthquake had caused immense hardship on the local people with severe loss of lives. Many families' belongings could not be recovered from their homes. The rescue team members helped, at the risk of losing life and limb, to recover blankets; food; scriptures; ritual items and safes, etc. from endangered houses, to reduce further losses. At the same time, the team members did their best to console the victims as well as treat injuries and wounds. A 5-month-old Tibetan infant who suffered from high fever and breathing difficulties was also sent to the hospital on time. Henan's rescue team also distributed self-help pharmaceuticals among the victims.

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One good deed deserves another in return. There were numerous touching stories during the earthquake relief work at Yushu. Although some members are no longer in the frontline and the general public cannot be there, everyone’s heart remains in Yushu. One Foundation’s rescue team had worked under harsh conditions and cooked their food outdoors. The long hours of stressful work coupled with the lack of nutrition meant that health became the primary concern for the rescue team members. One member developed altitude sickness after 3 days of non-stop work, and was forced to return to Xining. A company in Zhengzhou, on hearing this news, decided to supply the rescue team with 100 tubes of immunoglobulin medicine. Other enterprises also supplied gas bottles, gas stoves and sleeping bags to help solve the cooking and sleeping problems for the rescue team members.

At the same time as its participation in the frontline rescue work and actively encouraging others to make donations, One Foundation's frontline workers also embark on investigation on post-disaster rebuilding work. The Foundation set up dedicated project team to look into rebuilding work based on its rational, professional and sustained work features, with a view on meeting the quake-stricken area's actual and long-term needs. The earthquake caused considerable damage to the local environment. Large quantities of plastic bottles; water bottles and refuse also placed a strain on it. In addition to rebuilding of houses, mental health and livelihood, One Foundation will also focus on the protection of the environment of the disaster area.

Rebuilding of the quake-stricken area is an urgent, arduous and professional work, hence needs everybody's rational and sustained attention and support.