Durham Chinese School and North England Chinese Entrepreneurs Association: Supporting Wuhan’s Pandemic Response

By Miss Yanbing Qian & Miss Shiyu Cao

In mid-to-late December 2019, news of an “unidentified pneumonia” in Wuhan first drew public attention. By January 2020, this sudden novel coronavirus outbreak (2019-nCoV) rapidly spread from Wuhan across China, disrupting the usual festive and peaceful atmosphere of the Chinese New Year. On December 1, 2019, Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital admitted its first COVID-19 patient. At 10:00 AM on January 23, 2020, Wuhan city was officially locked down. On the same day, Zhejiang, Guangdong, and Hunan provinces initiated a Level I public health emergency response. On January 24, 2020, Hubei Province initiated a Level I public health emergency response. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the 2019-nCoV outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

As part of the global Chinese community, Durham Chinese School launched a charity initiative to help Wuhan, doing our utmost to support frontline medical workers in Hubei. In this initiative, under the leadership of Headteacher, Mr Haoyang Liu, Durham Chinese School actively responded to President Wu’s call for donations, promptly contributing 10,000+ RMB to Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital as reserve funds to combat the novel coronavirus. As a designated hospital for public health emergency medical treatment in Hubei Province and Wuhan City, Jinyintan Hospital had by then admitted over 1,500 COVID-19 patients, with countless medical personnel rushing to the front lines to tirelessly treat them. Their efforts brought great hope to patients and the public. Concurrently, under Header Teacher Mr Haoyang Liu’s organisation and leadership, the school actively carried out civic education activities, cultivating students’ sense of purpose and responsibility, and sending heartfelt well wishes to people in Wuhan.

Upon learning of the shortage of medical supplies in Wuhan’s frontline hospitals, Dr. Sun Jing and his wife Fang Hui, based in the UK, with assistance from our school’s Principal Liu, collaborated with President Qi Yongqiang of the North England Chinese Entrepreneurs Association to make a targeted donation of masks and goggles to the South Campus of Wuhan No. 8 Hospital, doing their utmost to support epidemic prevention and control. With President Qi Yongqiang’s help, these supplies were promptly delivered to Wuhan, Hubei. Simultaneously, President Qi Yongqiang also made a targeted donation to Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital, providing 325 protective suits, 3,000 FFP2 masks, and various goggles and laboratory gloves, offering strong support to frontline medical professionals.

Mr Shanxiong Wu, MBE, JP, President of the UK Association for the Promotion of Chinese Education and Honorary President of the Northern Chinese Entrepreneurs Association, mobilized Chinese schools across the UK to donate funds and supplies. Additionally, President Woo, with the help of his daughter who is a doctor, sourced and purchased a large quantity of anti-epidemic materials, including one thousand sets of protective suits for medical personnel (valued at £15,000).

During the donation period, the Association for the Promotion of Chinese Education maintained organized operations, timely releasing donation information to the public through charity information platforms, news, and announcements. They ensured transparency and openness in accordance with laws and regulations, actively accepting public supervision, and entrusted the Hubei Provincial Overseas Chinese Affairs Office and other provincial/municipal offices to track the delivery of subsequent materials and donations. According to a China News Service report, at a donation ceremony held on January 31 at the Chinese Embassy in the UK, representatives from the overseas Chinese and academic communities, including Mr. Dennis Tan, Chairman of the London Chinatown Chinese Association, Mr. Alex Woo, President of the UK Association for the Promotion of Chinese Education, and Dr. Ma Daqing, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the UK Chinese Association of Professionals, made significant contributions in support of those affected by the novel coronavirus outbreak in China. The total value of funds and supplies donated approached £500,000, and they actively offered advice on assisting the domestic response to the epidemic.

杜伦中文学校和英国北部华人企业家协会同心协力，为武汉加油

作者： 钱彦冰 曹诗雨

2019年12月中下旬，武汉“不明肺炎”的消息首次引起公众的注意，2020年1月，这场突如其来的新型冠状病毒疫情（2019-nCoV）首从武汉起迅速蔓延，席卷全国，打破了以往春节的喜庆祥和之气。

2019年12月1日，武汉市金银潭医院收治了首名新冠肺炎病人。

2020年1月23日上午十点整，武汉市正式封城。同日，浙江、广东和湖南省启动重大突发公共卫生事件Ⅰ级响应。

2020年1月24日，湖北省启动重大突发公共卫生事件Ⅰ级响应。

2020年1月30日，世界卫生组织（WHO）宣布2019-nCoV疫情定性为国际公共卫生紧急事件（PHEIC）。

我们杜伦中文学校，作为海外华人华侨同胞，开展了帮助武汉的爱心活动，尽我们所能帮助湖北的一线医务工作者。
本次活动中，杜伦中文学校在刘浩洋校长的带领下，积极响应伍会长的捐赠号召，第一时间向湖北省武汉市金银潭医院1万元人民币作为抗击新型冠状病毒的储备资金。作为湖北省和武汉市突发公共卫生事件医疗救治定点医院，金银潭医院目前已收治超过1500名新冠肺炎患者，不计其数的医疗人员奔赴前线全力救治肺炎患者，治愈出院率高达43%，为病患和公众带来了极大的信心。与此同时，在刘浩洋校长的组织领导下，学校积极开展了公民教育主题活动，培养学生的使命感与责任感，给武汉同胞送去最真挚的祝福！

在得知武汉一线医院医疗物资短缺后，远在英国的孙医生（孙净）和其爱人（方晖）在我校刘校长的帮助下，与英国北部华人企业家协会会长戚勇强会长协力定点捐赠了一批口罩和护目镜给武汉市第八医院南院，力所能及地支持疫情防控工作。该批物资在戚勇强会长的帮助下，及时的运送到了湖北武汉。同时，戚勇强会长也定点向武汉市金银潭医院捐赠了325件防护服、3000个Fffp2口罩与若干护目镜、实验手套等，为一线的白衣战士提供有力的支援。

英国中文教育促进会会长及北方华人企业协会名誉会长，太平绅士，MBE，伍善雄先生发动了全英中文学校，捐款捐物，同时伍会长通过做医生的女儿找各种渠道购买了大量抗疫物资，共计购买医护人员防护服一千套（£15000）。

捐赠期间中文教育促进会组织有序，通过慈善信息平台、新闻、公告等形式，及时向社会发布捐赠信息，依法依规做到信息公开透明，主动接受社会监督，并委托湖北省侨办和其他省市侨办跟踪后续物资和捐款的落实。据中国新闻网报道，于1月31日在中国驻英国大使馆举行的捐赠仪式上，伦敦华埠商会主席邓柱廷、英国中文教育促进会会长伍善雄、全英华人教授协会副主席兼秘书长马大青等侨学界代表就支援中国抗击新型冠状病毒感染的肺炎疫情做出巨大成绩，捐款、捐物总额近50万英镑，并就协助国内抗击疫情积极建言献策。

虽然我们没有能力奋战一线，但是，我们的心始终与武汉同在。
面对本次疫情，我们华人华侨同胞秉承“一方有难，八方支援”的精神为抗击疫情贡献一份绵薄之力，即使身在海外，心中的中华情却依旧滚烫。面对疫情，众志成城，勠力同心，相信这场“战疫”一定能够取得圆满胜利，终会迎来春暖花开之日。