I served for two years as Assistant Governor in Gansu, one of the poorest provinces in northwest China.

The Loess Plateau program, which was duplicated in provinces elsewhere in the country, is also helping people here in Gansu improve their lives and protect the environment.

The affected areas are among the poorest regions of China, with 2004 per capita annual incomes of rural households of $227 in Yunnan, $226 in Gansu, and $283 in Ningxia.

In western provinces such as Gansu, this strategy has led to a crisis in the supply and quality of teachers.

As I write this article, my Oxfam colleagues are still working hard for reconstruction in the provinces of Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi.