|
Title: UNICEF and IKEA aid China earthquake recovery View count: 529 Rating: 4.428571 (7 ratings) Description: XIHE, China, 7 July 2009 Almost 14 months ago, on 12 May 2008, a massive earthquake struck Sichuan province, with its epicentre in Wenchuan County. The earthquake left 88,000 people dead or missing and nearly 400,000 injured. It also damaged or destroyed millions of homes, leaving 5 million people homeless in Sichuan and the adjoining provinces of Gansu, Shaanxi, Yunnan and Chongqing. The disaster had a disproportionately large impact on children. In August 2008, the IKEA Social Initiative joined UNICEFs relief efforts and made an in-kind donation to meet the urgent shelter needs of displaced children in temporary settlements and those housed in boarding schools in Sichuan. The IKEA Social Initiative is the largest corporate donor to UNICEF programmes in the earthquake-affected region. The partnership between UNICEF and the IKEA Social Initiative is providing a three-year package of interventions in education, water and sanitation to 39 schools affected by the quake in Xihe County, Gansu province. As a result of these joint efforts, some 10,000 students from poor rural areas have been able to return to school in the area. On 11 May, at press conference for the launch of the 'UNICEF China Earthquake One Year Report', the IKEA Social Initiative's David Mulligan received a certificate of appreciation, on behalf of IKEA, from UNICEF Representative in China Dr. Yin Yin Nwe. The event reaffirmed the common goal of the government, UNICEF, the IKEA Social Initiative and other partners to 'build back better' in Gansu province and the rest of the earthquake zone. To read the full story, visit http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/china_50181.html Tags: unicef, ikea, china, earthquake, sichuan, province, build, back, better, Author: unicef |
