Page 16 - UMP Issue167_final

15 SPOTLIGHT
UMP 大學廣場
APR 2013
with a meaningful trip. Nonetheless, these 5 days and 4
nights showed us more than we could have imagined; and
we all returned to Hong Kong with a full heart.
The first day was a day of settling in. Xide County was dry
and cold in December; but the weather had been perfect
and the crystal blue sky lit our spirit. We got up early in
the morning and hit the road in small teams. The jeeps
trembled on the damaged roads leading to the foot of the
hill where Hungyan Village sat. The translators are young
men from the village, led by the village head, they guided
us through bridges across the roaring rivers. Hungyan
Village is divided into 4 subgroups according to the
distribution of the residences.
After a good long hike, we arrived at the village head’s
home in subgroup 1. Entering the big and empty house
from the bright outside, we could not see a thing because
it was too dark. When our eyes adapted to the dim light
in the house, we saw people sitting around the fire above
which dried old fatty pork and home-made sausages were
hanging down from the ceiling. The villagers keep livestock
but they only eat meat during big celebrations or when
noble guests visit. We were a big group but the family
insisted on cooking for us and they generously took a lot of
old meat from the little they had. After lunch, we started the
survey. Unlike people in the city, they answer all questions
with patience even though many terms were unheard
of in their lives and it took time for us to explain; for the
translators convey the message; and for the interviewee to
understand.
CCOUC Needs
Assessment Trip
to Sichuan
On August 31, 2012, a tremendous flooding hit
Lianghekou Township in Xide County, Sichuan
Province. Homes were destroyed and farmland became
flood plains. Immediate disaster management and
medical assistance are essential, yet the long-term health
needs and recovery cannot be neglected. Unmet health
needs could be identified through household surveys
and focus groups, such that further interventions can be
designed. Collaborating Centre for Oxford University and
CUHK (CCOUC) for Disaster and Medical Humanitarian
Response, School of Public Health and Primary Care,
aims to investigate the health needs of post-disaster
Hungyan Village, which consists of mainly Yi people; and
hopefully to raise the ethnic minority’s health and hygiene
awareness.
We were a group of ten - 8 students led by 2 instructors.
We have different education backgrounds and had different
expectations before the start of this needs assessment
trip. Some needed to fulfill the college graduation
requirement; some expected to learn more about global
health and surveying skills; some wanted to find out what
humanitarian response could mean; and some simply
wished to spend the holiday wisely and to conclude 2012
Anabelle Ngachung Wong
Pharmacy / Year 4