"My family home was built in 2006. It collapsed in the earthquake. We lost everything, but luckily, my family members are OK," Long Jianmei sobbed.
"I couldn't sleep. I miss my daughter so much and I want to go back to see her," the domestic helper in Beijing said.
Long's mobile phone rang. She answered, her hand trembling with fear. On the other line, her relatives in her quake-shattered hometown of Guangyuan in northern Sichuan province shouted through the phone that an aftershock had hit their village a few minutes ago.
Falling rocks struck a dam. People were running up to hills to escape water overflowing out of the damaged reservoir.
Long lowered her head and burst into tears. Beside her, six other women, also from the same quake-hit area, sighed in despair and continuously wiped their tears. Fang Qingxia, an employee of the non-profit Migrant Women's Club, rubbed Long's hands to warm them up.
"Don't worry. Be strong. They will be safe. We are always here with you," Fang said gently.
Sorrow and silence filled the air of the club's small office. The group was holding a session as part of relief efforts on the first weekend after the devastating Sichuan quake on Monday last week.
A dozen club staffers, migrant workers from other provinces and volunteers from different walks of life sat in a circle together with several quake victims, all domestic helpers in the capital. The support group listened to their ordeals, shared their grief and gave them support.
"Non-governmental organizations (NGO) took quick action after the disaster," said Han Huimin, one of the club's employees who had returned from a meeting with another 12 NGOs in Beijing.
"We called our Sichuan members, and asked other members whether they knew of any Sichuan natives. We registered their names, contacts and the information of their families, so that we could provide timely help.
"We arranged the group relief meeting for the victims to pour out their anxiety and panic, and get support from people around them," Han said.
At the meeting, Han and her colleagues covered categories of natural and human disasters, and tips on how people could protect themselves and support other victims.
The group also cleared doubts on life-saving techniques and introduced disaster-related examples from Japan and Taiwan, where earthquakes often occur.
"We want to ease their horror. We want to tell them that the difficulties can be overcome through scientific and effective measures, and see what else we can do to help," Han said.
Volunteers also chipped in. Magazine reporter Zhang Xin said his publication bought eight migrant women tickets to Sichuan. Some received confirmation of the death of their loved ones, while others were unable to get any information on their family members.
"They couldn't eat or sleep. When I gave them the tickets, they said their worries were lessened."
The support group also contacts cooperative domestic service companies, who join in relief work for their employees from the quake zone.
Li Yuhua, manager of a domestic service agency whose two employees are from Mianyang and Guangyuan, brought monetary donations from her staff.
"The two domestic helpers are going back home. I am grateful that the families they work for gave them leave from work. We will mobilize other people to take over their duties in turns."
She said that a lot of contracted domestic helpers have donated money twice, even though they themselves find it hard to make ends meet.
"Their donation is small, yet their love is as much as those who give much more money," she added.
NGO worker Han Huimin said that the quake relief work will be a long-term task, in the quake zone and in unaffected places. The club will adopt psychotherapy to help quake-zone migrants recuperate.
"Students from the psychology institute have organized three relief groups for students from the quake zone. We will join Beijing's other universities to allocate a psychotherapy notebook to people who need psychological support, to help them overcome the horror of the earthquake," said Chen Zhirong, a student of Beijing Normal University who also attended the club's meeting.
She and her classmates also wish to offer professional psychological counseling to the quake-hit migrant group. With the help of the club, they will assess the needs of these people and apply personalized therapies.
"We now have hotlines with 50 volunteers ready to help. We will soon stage a play about the earthquake, through which we can help people release their pain," the support group's Fang Qingxia said.
After the session, domestic helper Long managed a weak smile.
"I feel better, knowing that so many people are here with us to help," she said.
(China Daily May 20, 2008)