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Press Releases & Updates

29 APR 2013

Oxfam to return to quake-stricken Ya’an in May for assessment and supplies distribution

After a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Lushan County, Ya’an, Sichuan, Oxfam immediately sent a team of six to the quake-stricken area for assessment, and delivered two batches of emergency supplies (including quilts, tents, waterproof fabrics, cooking utensils, etc., with a total worth of HK$900,000) to the survivors, assisting 7,023 villagers in three villages in Longmenxiang and Qingrenxiang.

Oxfam is preparing for the next round of relief efforts in Ya’an – getting quotations for the third batch of supplies and making logistic arrangements for delivery. In addition to the supplies distributed earlier, Oxfam plans to include food and cooking oil in the procurement of the third batch of supplies. Oxfam staff will return to the quake-stricken area in early May, and go to more remote areas to assess the damage and subsequent reconstruction.

The agency will also focus on the needs of more remote areas and marginalised groups. Rehabilitation efforts will concentrate on hygiene, providing clean drinking water and temporary shelters, clean-up and waste management, food and livelihood recovery as well as disaster mitigation and preparedness. The goal is to assist a total of 30,000 survivors in 7,500 households in Lushan County, Tianquan County and Baoxing County. Rehabilitation work is estimated to last six months to a year; a more concrete plan will be announced in due course. Oxfam has in place a strict financial auditing and programme monitoring mechanism that ensures all donations are appropriately used on the survivors and disaster areas.

Oxfam prioritises women and marginalised groups in its emergency response. The agency’s emergency relief strategy has long been emphasising post-disaster rehabilitation that targets remote, impoverished and deprived communities. Oxfam also supports local organisations to participate in rehabilitation work, with an emphasis on building the capacity of these organisations, the agency’s partners and entire communities.

After assessing the needs of the disaster area, Oxfam plans to allocate HK$10 million to the relief and rehabilitation efforts in quake-affected Ya’an, and has since launched a public appeal for the disaster. Oxfam has also applied for a grant from the government’s Disaster Relief Fund to provide basic necessities to the quake survivors, targeting especially remote, impoverished communities and marginalised groups that have no access to outside assistance.

Oxfam’s humanitarian and disaster risk reduction work transcends national borders and ethnicities. Apart from disaster relief for the Ya’an earthquake, the agency also recently responded to the escalating crisis in Syria and declared it as a Category 1 crisis. To strengthen aid to the refugees in neighbouring countries such as Lebanon and Jordan, Oxfam Hong Kong now seeks to raise HK$800,000 in Hong Kong – and assist some 400,000 people – in support of Oxfam’s global response to the crisis.

The agency is also responding to the droughts in Southwest China, providing drinking water and rice to disaster-hit counties and cities in Yunnan and Guizhou to alleviate the food shortages resulting from crop failure. Oxfam will allocate about 1.2 million yuan to the two provinces with an aim to assist about 15,000 people.

Donation methods for the Ya’an Earthquake Emergency Appeal are as follows:
Donations can be transferred to the various bank accounts of Oxfam Hong Kong:
Hong Kong
HSBC: 047-834668-001
Bank of China: 012-874-0-010515-7

Macau
Bank of China Macau account: 01-01-20-840951 (MOP)
Banco Tai Fung: 201-1-10056-9 (MOP)
Banco Weng Hang: 743342-001 (MOP)
Bank of China Macau cardholders can make donations via BOC Express or BOCNET

More donation methods:
Online donation link (HK donor)
https://www.oxfam.org.hk/en/oneoffdonationform_2013it011.aspx
Online donation link (Macau donor)
https://www.oxfam.org.hk/en/oneoffdonationform_2013kn006.aspx
Other donation methods
http://www.oxfam.org.hk/en/paymentsichuanearthquake.aspx

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About Oxfam
Oxfam is dedicated to fighting poverty and inequity worldwide. The international and independent development and humanitarian organisation tackles poverty in four main ways: sustainable development in poor communities, disaster relief, local, national and global advocacy, and education with Hong Kong youth. Established in Hong Kong in 1976, Oxfam Hong Kong is a founding member of Oxfam, an international confederation that has assisted poor people in 94 countries. Oxfam Hong Kong alone has supported poor people in over 70 countries/regions.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Sarah Chu
Communications Officer
Telephone: + 852 3120-5280 / + 852 9276 0064
Email: sarah.chu@oxfam.org.hk