Bulletin No. 1, 2013

Let’s Build a Bridge 21  Photo by CCOUC.org she has led public health teachers and students to take part in Wu Zhi Qiao projects. She is also responsible for taking care of the sick and wounded at bridge building sites. The CCOUC has an Ethnic Minority Health Project that aims at mitigating the adverse impact of natural disasters and health risk in remote and poverty-stricken areas in China. As such, it is very much in sync with the nature of Wu Zhi Qiao projects. The two parties began teaming up with each other in 2009. The project at Dangzheng Village marked their third collaboration. Professor Chan said, ‘The results of our public health and disaster preparedness programmes are intangible. We’re happy to see our partner build something concrete.’ When Emily talks, she is never short on statistics: ‘In 13 of the last 15 years, China was the world’s most disaster-prone region. In the remaining two years, it was the Philippines that suffered the most.’ ‘What is water scarcity? If you spend more than 30 minutes a day on average to fetch water, that’s water scarcity.’ ‘Figures are important. Without figures, it’s hard to know how to allocate resources when formulating policies.’ Although she likes to cite statistics, what Professor Chan really cares about are the people behind numbers. For example, while the CCOUC team did medical check-ups for villagers at Dangzheng Village, she was concerned about the feelings of the village doctor and was wary of giving offence. She said, ‘We stay at each place for a very short time. If we want the locals to buy our ideas, we have to make them feel that it is their own affair. If you swoop down like a self-professed saviour, whip up a storm, then leave, they will see your work as something imposed on them by an outsider. It wouldn’t take root.’ Professor Chan had aspired to be a journalist when she was young. As a college student, she did volunteer work in Africa. Since then, she has devoted herself to humanitarian causes. She once said to the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Sung, ‘If we can find a village with a village head and villagers who welcome the idea, professors from different departments of the University can go to improve their lives with their respective expertise. We can build a model village. We would also be contributing to our country. How wonderful that would be.’ The Vice-Chancellor replied, ‘You’re really idealistic.’