UNRRA Welfare people have been in China only about 4 months. some only about a month. Nevertheless. in that short time UNRRA has helped the Government organize a program for relief in one of the most devastated provinces of China. and through this Organization to begin the training of the thousands of Chinese workers who ultimately will be needed to administer the Chinese relief program. Early in May. the United States Army headquarters appealed to UNRRA for relief for refugees in Kweichow and Western Hunan provinces. The Japanese offensive south of the Yangtze River in 1944 had forced hundreds of thousands to flee from their homes and to march in the dead of winter across the high plateau land of Kweichow. Many were refugees for the fourth or fifth time. As soon as the request for aid was received from the United States Army. UNRRA dispatched several of its staff to the area to determine what should be done. One of the most obvious needs that was reported was to organize shelter and feeding for thousands of the refugees who were living in half destroyed shacks and hovels. all showing evident malnutrition and about a third ill with dysentery. malaria. and typhus. One of the UNRRA welfare staff and four Chinese agricultural students were sent downthe four students to receive training while helping the UNRRA staff member. This is what they did in 1 week: They took over two refugee camps housing several hundred refugees. chiefly war widows and aged persons. they obtained local help to clean up some of the most habitable of the ruined buildings and moved the refugees into them. they set up a feeding station to feed not only those in the camp but refugees livIng outside the camp. they obtained the services of a local doctor to care for the sick. Five died during the week. but those that are left have a chance. The UNRRA worker returned to his headquarters when the week was over.
Keywords matched
refugee refugees