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PRESS RELEASE |
Uppsala |
Church of Sweden Aid supports Victims of Earthquake in China
In the middle of January, two earthquakes hit the Chinese Province of Yunnan. 1,500 people were hurt, and of the 200,000 who live in the area, more than 150,000 were made homeless. Church of Sweden Aid has decided to make a grant of SEK half a million to provide life-supporting supplies to the victims of these earthquakes..
The people need above all warm blankets and material to construct temporary homes. The mountainous area of the Yunnan-Province is one of the poorest areas in China and the climate in winter is harsh. The cold and the damp cause great problems for the homeless, as does the lack of food and other necessities. All the material will be bought locally.
the work will be undertaken by the local organisation called the Amity Foundation, which works for a Christian contribution to the work of building up society in China and which has been a co-operating partner of Church of Sweden Mission since 1985. Church of Sweden Aid has also previously worked together with the Amity Foundation.
Of the total grant of SEK 500,000, SEK 200,000 will come from Church of Sweden Aid funds ear-marked for emergency relief work, and SEK 300,000 will be contributed by Sida. The money will be sent through the churches' international emergency relief ACT (Action by Churches Together), which has appealed for 211 000 US-dollars in total.
"The earthquake victims in the Yunnan-Province have not attracted the interest of the media, and therefore it is good to be able to support those who have been hit by this catastrophe through the channels of the churches. This emergency relief project also provides an opportunity for us to strengthen an important actor in the civil society of China", Peter Weiderud, the Church of Sweden Director of Foreign Affairs, says.
"The Amity Foundation works purposefully for developments in China and has succeeded in finding methods of co-operation with the authorities whit regard to work among the poorest in the country.
Photos from the earthquake (digital format) are available without charge from the Press Secretary, Ewa Röllgårdh, telephone and e-mail as above.
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