| Today, China's Sichuan province continues to recover from the impact of the 8.0 magnitude earthquake that struck the region earlier this year on May 12, 2008. The earthquake claimed the lives of more than 80,000 people within minutes. Kimberly-Clark's global team mobilized immediately after the event to assist the families and children in crisis from this event.
Those affected by the earthquake were in immediate need of basic human needs including food, shelter, personal hygiene products and overall support from the local community. Kimberly-Clark stepped in to help provide the right resources needed during the aftermath of the disaster.
Immediate contributions from Kimberly-Clark around the world included:
- 1.4 million yuan (US$200,000) in funding through the Kimberly-Clark Foundation for general disaster relief
- 400,000 yuan was given to the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation to give residents of the region basic survival supplies like food and water
- 9,000 cases of personal hygiene products and 130 cases of healthcare products
- RMB 1million was donated to the China Foundation of Children and Adolescents, which helps mid- to long- term recovery of psychological and special educational needs of orphans in the province.
But Kimberly-Clark didn’t stop after the initial contributions were made. With each of the more than 1,000 Kimberly-Clark employees accounted for, support for their extended families and all of the families in the region became the focus.
Up Close and Personal
Stephen Shao, president of K-C North China and Qin Qi, HR director of K-C North China, brought tents and medicine to local K-C volunteer staff in Chengdu and Dujiangyan, where the families of employees were most affected.
Lin Feng, Stephen Shao, Qin Qi and team
Mei Tong, director of K-C corporate development and strategic projects, visited Chengdu only four days after the earthquake as a part a volunteer group advising the China Foundation of Children and Adolescents.
After experiencing a terrifying 6.4 magnitude aftershock, Tong encountered hundreds of thousands of people in need. From aiding a pregnant woman who gave birth to a healthy baby boy several days later, to meeting with 62 children who narrowly escaped the quake thanks to the bravery of their teacher, Tong quickly took to heart the severity of the situation, yet was amazed by the resiliency of the human spirit.
"The number of tents that expanded over the vast territory across the temporary refugee center seemed endless," Tong recalls. "Every one of us was overwhelmed with sadness, especially when we realized that this group of people is deprived of everything now, and just a few days earlier, they had all of the safety and security the rest of us take for granted."
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Mei Tong hands out supplies during her visit to Chengdu |
Ongoing Efforts
The overall relief efforts for the people and towns in the damaged areas of China have made a tremendous difference in the last few months. It's been a cooperative effort between the government, citizens and corporations like Kimberly-Clark to rebuild, restore and re-energize the area.
Within the confines of the K-C family, Feng Lin, director of North China Consumer Sales, continues to provide a strong shoulder to lean on for employees directly impacted by the disaster. K-C China employees continue to reach out to their fellow citizens and more than RMB 300,000 has been raised by employees to date.
Experts predict that the preliminary rebuild in the quake-struck regions will take three years, followed by an additional five years of work to complete reconstruction. Kimberly-Clark's global commitment to families and the communities it serves will remain strong throughout the lengthy rebuilding process.
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