Local people in the quake-hit areas are not only the recipients of help, they're now taking action to fix what the earthquake destroyed, all on their own. They're also lending a hand to relief workers.

Villagers in Pinggu county have taken it upon themselves to repair this road.

Villagers in Pinggu county have taken it upon themselves to repair this road.

They say they hope this road, which serves as a lifeline will be accessible as soon as possible.

A villager said, "Troops cannot take care of all the damages when they're busy. They have been working very hard. So we took it upon ourselves to fix this point of access, the road. Without it, things will be difficult to accomplish."

Their efforts are already paying off.

A villager said, "The road must be made accessible. Otherwise, we would be trapped here in the mountain. Drinking water and food cannot be transported to us without this road."

On top of these self-relief efforts, villagers are also offering help to relief workers.

Here's one example: It was difficult for soldiers to unload the materials for building temporary houses that were transported from another province to the Chongyi township in Sichuan because they could only use one generator to light one lamp.

After learning about the situation, local villagers gathered to light up the site with flashlights.

(CCTV May 29, 2008)