In response to a request for humanitarian assistance received from the Zhang County Poverty Alleviation and Development Bureau (ZCPADB) this morning, Mercy Relief (MR) deployed its first response team this afternoon to quake-hit Gansu Province.
The 4-man team shall head directly to the affected Zhang and Min counties, with an initial tranche of SGD30,000, to support the local authorities in addressing the most critical areas of needs on the ground which include water, food, medicines and shelter.
Almost a quarter of a million survivors have been displaced from their homes, either totally or substantially damaged, due to the 6.6 Richter quake which struck on Monday morning. With more rains expected to pour at the affected areas over the next few days, tarpaulins and tents are urgent requirements to protect the survivors from the natural elements.
* MR has been implementing relief and development projects in three provinces of China – Sichuan, Qinghai & Shanxi – continuously since 2008. For more details on these efforts, please refer to the following link to read on these projects: https://www.mercyrelief.org/web/Contents/Contents.aspx?Id=36
Ruined houses and buildings in Gansu province [Photo/Xinhua]
About Mercy Relief
Mercy Relief is a Singaporean humanitarian organisation which engages in both disaster relief and sustainable development programmes. It was established in 2003 as an independent non-governmental humanitarian charity responding to the human tragedies in Asia. Mercy Relief’s aid programme focuses on providing timely and effective assistance to disaster-stricken communities and has maintained the delivery of emergency aid within 72 hours from the point of appeal for assistance.
In the past 12 years, Mercy Relief has disbursed over S$32 million in aid across 40 disaster relief and 53 sustainable development initiatives. Mercy Relief has impacted an aggregate of 2 million lives in 24 countries and areas, namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, DPR Korea, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Palestine, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and Yemen.
For more information, you may call us at 6514 6322 or email corporateaffairs@mercyrelief.org
