Young Survivors of Chengdu Earthquake Visit Edmonton

August 14, 2009

Eighteen children who survived a devastating earthquake in China’s Sichuan Province in May 2008 are visiting Edmonton from August 13 to 21. The City of Edmonton and members of the local Chinese community are organizing the trip.

“These kids have experienced tremendous loss and now they are rebuilding their lives,” said Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel. “A trip like this can’t replace what they’ve lost but it can help to open up new possibilities and begin new friendships. The strong support from our local community shows them that there is a large community of people who care.”

The youth, ages 10 to 17, are among 650 children orphaned in the quake which claimed nearly 70,000 lives and destroyed 200 schools in the city of Chengdu.

The Sichuan youth will be buddied with students from Edmonton’s Mandarin bilingual program who will serve as translators during the visit, accompany the group on outings and make them feel at home in Edmonton.  The city’s Mandarin bilingual program is the largest of its kind in North America.

 "We want to bring hope and happiness to these children," said Peter Wong, president of the Edmonton Chinese Bilingual Education Association. "The trip to Edmonton will allow them to get away from the area of destruction for a while so they can enjoy what Edmontonians have to offer – the hospitality and generosity of our citizens."

During the eight-day visit the group will visit attractions including the Valley Zoo, Fort Edmonton Park, and they’ll take in a Capitals baseball game. Mayor Mandel will welcome them at Edmonton City Hall where the young visitors will perform as a choir. Parent volunteers from the ECBEA will supervise the youth on all outings.

For a personal perspective on the Mandarin bilingual program, read “Bridging Generations with Language” at edmontonstories.ca. To follow the experiences of the Chendgu youth as well as their Edmonton student hosts visit treasures of chengdu blogspot. A student buddy from Edmonton will post daily highlights from the visit on the site.

The ECBEA raised more than $30,000 to cover the cost of the airfare of the children from Chengdu as well as two chaperones traveling with the group from China. Local businesses and the City of Edmonton are donating services and meals and providing free admission for trip participants.  Edmonton’s Chinese community raised about $90,000 for a library and an activity room in a new school in the Chengdu region.

Edmonton’s relationship with China goes back many years. In 1985, the City formed a Sister City partnership with Harbin, in the Heilongjiang Province and in recent years it has been pursuing a number of environmental and tourism-related initiatives with Chengdu, the Capital of the Sichuan Province. In February 2009 Mayor Mandel led a delegation to Harbin, Shanghai and Chengdu where he discussed the idea for a trip to Edmonton with Chengdu’s Mayor.

For more information:

Carol Hurst

Title Senior Communications Advisor, Communications
Telephone

780-496-8266
780-719-7348 (cell)
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