Support for earthquake victims in China
(May 16, 2008) Hydro decided on Friday to contribute NOK 1 million to Save the Children's relief work to help the Chinese earthquake victims. Inside China, Hydro employees have started their own donation campaign.
CHILDREN: Save the Children has sent a team to find out how the catastrophic earthquake has affected children in Chongqing, Sichuan and Deyang. The organization will as soon as possible start establishing areas specially designed to meet the needs of children. (Photo: Terje S. Knudsen)
"Save the Children has been our partner for years, and it is natural to channel our support for the earthquake victims through this relief organization," says Chief Communication Officer Inger Sethov of Hydro.
Hydro has a number of offices and activities in China, which include sales of aluminium building systems and the production of precision tubing mainly for the automotive industry.
None of Hydro's operations in China have been directly affected by the major earthquake. The company employs about 170 people in China.
Children especially vulnerable
One of Save the Children's main priorities in emergency situations is to ensure that the children affected have somewhere to stay, in familiar surroundings and with people they know. Such places can help ensure that basic needs for food, water and shelter are met, while allowing the children to get back into a routine based on normal activities as soon as possible.
"The chance to play, receive tuition and express their experiences, are crucial to our work in helping children tackle their tough experiences," states Save the Children emergency relief manager Eva-Torill Jacobsen, in an article on the Norwegian organization's website.
According to Save the Children, the areas designated support parents who have lost family members, their homes and all they own, so that they can start to reconstruct family life again.
Money and blood donation from China employees
Hydro's representative office in Beijing and Hydro Building Systems in China organized a donation campaign inside the company to help disaster relief following the strong quake, measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale, in the Wenchuan area in northwest Sichuan province on Monday, May 12.
An estimated EUR 3,355 has been given to the Red Cross of China.
“Although our donation is a small figure, we really want to show our condolences and our hope for the survivors to recover from the pain and be able to rebuild their homes,” said Ms. Rainbow Xie. She was the first one among the employees to donate blood after learning the dramatic news.
