World Vision Expands China Earthquake Appeal To $14 Million

- Increased global appeal will help reach 265,000 survivors

HONG KONG, May 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the number of dead and
missing from the China earthquake reaches 80,000 people, World Vision has
increased its emergency appeal to $14 million. The Christian aid agency plans
to reach 265,000 survivors with immediate and long-term assistance.
Temporary shelter remains the most pressing need in the quake zone. With
the new budget, the international aid organization will also be able to
distribute additional tents, shelter materials, food, quilts, medical supplies
and other urgent necessities. Long-term, World Vision plans to rebuild 30
schools and 3,000 houses that have been damaged.
Meanwhile, the physical and emotional toll on the 5 million people left
homeless continues to swell.
"When an earthquake strikes, everything becomes chaotic," said World
Vision's Emergency Response Director for China, Victor Kan. "In Sichuan,
people were terrified when violent shaking caused buildings to fall and roads
to split wide open."
World Vision is particularly concerned about how children are coping.
Without shelter, children are at risk of physical harm and lack a safe place
to deal with psychosocial issues that result from the distress and grief of
losing loved ones. Children are also at risk of being separated from their
family or caregivers.
"The well-being of children must be attended to," Kan explained. "The
first step is to provide shelter, food and safe drinking water. The next
course of action is to offer children a safe place to play, a place where they
can communicate their feelings and deal with the stress of the traumatic
events they've just experienced."
World Vision plans to set up three Child-Friendly Spaces for children
living in temporary shelter sites. The centers will have activities and games
and offer children a chance to foster social connections, while normalizing
their daily routine.
Expert interviews, survivor stories and photographs from Sichuan Province
are available. Please contact Rachel Wolff at 253.394.2214 or
rwolff@worldvison.org or Casey Calamusa at 206.310.5476 or
ccalamus@worldvision.org.
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working
with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full
potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. We serve all
people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. For more
information, please visit www.worldvision.org/press.
SOURCE World Vision

Rachel Wolff, +1-253-394-2214, rwolff@worldvison.org, or Casey Calamusa,
+1-206-310-5476, ccalamus@worldvision.org, both for World Vision