Post-disaster Community Development in Rural Sichuan, China

Abstract

An enormous earthquake hit Wenchuan County in Sichuan province of China on May 12, 2008. Since that time, we have worked together with the local community, implementing an alternative model of community development. This is an action research project that devoted to post-disaster community rebuilding, which not only restores local livelihoods but also creates sustainable economic development. This paper examines our role in disaster intervention, the theoretical background of new model, and the process of the intervention itself. Keywords: China, rural-urban alliance, post-disaster community reconstruction, capacity and assets building, sustainable livelihood