News

HONG KONG, 25 April 2013 — The magnitude-7 earthquake struck Ya’an, southwestern Sichuan province last Saturday has left 26,000 children affected alone in Lushan County, the worst-hit area in the quake. UNICEF is now in full cooperation with its partners to support the relief work for the affected children and their families. With the great support from the Hong Kong public, Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF HK) has raised over HK$5.93 million by yesterday. The first batch of emergency relief fund of HK$580,000 was allocated for the provision of necessary health care facilities for the protection of maternal and child health, as well as the reinforcement of psychological support provided by Child Friendly Spaces (CFS) in the quake-affected areas.

The quake has led over 200 people dead or missing, more than 12,000 injured and at least 17 children killed or wounded. 26,000 children were affected in Lushan County alone, the hardest-hit area in the quake. Many affected children devastated by the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake five years ago have to face a second tragedy of Ya’an Earthquake. UNICEF is urgently requesting HK$10.15 million to meet the immediate and medium-term needs of children and women throughout the earthquake zone for the coming six months in child protection, maternal and child health, nutrition, hygiene and sanitation.

In collaboration with National Working Committee for Children and Women (NWCCW), UNICEF established 40 CFS in the earthquake zone right after the Wenchuan earthquake, including two in Lushan County, to provide psychological support for the affected children and their families. UNICEF and partners have taken joint emergency actions immediately to respond to the Ya’an Earthquake, including the establishment of three CFS and reinforcement of the operating CFS near the epicenter of the earthquake. Led by a professional team comprising of psychologists and social workers, CFS will provide services such as psychological support, recreation and art therapy etc, to help the affected children and their families to go through.

UNICEF is getting ready to provide emergency obstetric and neonatal health equipment, as well as maternal and child health services in 34 local health facilities, including delivery kits, first aid kits, immunisation, basic healthcare services for women and children and outreach medical services.

One million people are now short of drinking water after the quake. UNICEF will help resume the water supply back to normal level. To prevent an outeak of post-disaster diseases, UNICEF is going to providing mobile latrines and 10,000 hygiene kits etc in the worst-hit areas to stop the hygiene standard from furthering deteriorating. In addition, UNICEF will deliver technical assistance to 30 primary schools and secondary schools in Lushan County to help the affected school children resume their studies and receive quality education as soon as possible; UNICEF will also provide appropriate counseling for school teachers and students.

Ms Irene Chan, Chief Executive of UNICEF HK said, “We are deeply touched by the immediate and generous support from civil societies in response to this tragic disaster. Helping children whose lives have been torn apart should be our top priority. They need our timely and effective counseling to recover from the trauma they have experienced.”

Thanks to the generous support from the public, UNICEF HK raised HK$5.93 million in five days. Including UNICEF HK’s emergency relief fund of HK$1million, 100 per cent of the sum will be spent with no donations deducted for administrative expense in the field, to make sure every single cent is used to save and change children’s lives for the emergency relief.

To join UNICEF’s force in the Ya’an relief, all cafes from five hotels in Hong Kong under Regal Hotels International will donate all the revenue of lunch and dinner buffets on 29 April (Monday) to UNICEF HK. Public could make donations at the donation booths located in Times Square, Causeway Bay, in donation boxes placed in houseware retailer Pricerite and hotels under Regal Hotels International during 29 April and 12 May, or through the methods shown as below.

To respond to public concern on the use of donations, UNICEF, the world’s leading United Nations organisation working specially for children, would conduct regular internal and external audit, monitor office’s revenue and expenditure, supervise materials delivery and release regular reports to public etc to ensure effective control of relief expenditure.

Donation for Ya’an earthquake:

Online donation: www.unicef.org.hk/sichuanDirect
Bank-in: HSBC: 567-354014-001 Bank of China: 012-875-0-0218683 Wing Lung Bank: 020-601-003-76348 Bank of East Asia: 015-260-81-012100
Cheque: Payable to ‘Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF’ (Please send us the cheque with filled donation form (download form) with remark ‘Sichuan’ at the back, and send to ‘Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF, 3/F, 60 Blue Pool Road, Happy Valley, Hong Kong.’)
PPS: Please use your contact number as the bill number. Press UNICEF merchant code: 6012, and then select bill type 3 “emergency”.
Hotline: 2833 6139

(In the unusual event that donations for Ya’an earthquake exceed the needs, we will direct your gift to disaster or emergency relief actions elsewhere.)