New World Group Donates HK$500,000 to Support UNICEF’s Emergency Relief Works in Asian Countries Devastated by Tsunamis
The tsunamis triggered by recent earthquakes in Indonesia have brought devastating damages to several Asian countries, causing tens of thousand of deaths and injuries, and loss of properties worth over tens of billion of dollars. In keeping with its philosophy of supporting worthwhile social causes and giving back to the community, New World Development Company Limited ("New World Group" or "the Group") (Hong Kong stock code: 0017) today announced that it will call on its staff to make a donation to support UNICEF's relief actions, and will itself make a matching donation not less than HK$500,000. The funds raised will be used to rush supplies to communities in India and Sri Lanka and other countries recently affected by the deathly tsunamis. It is the Group's hope that this will inspire similar charitable causes from the Hong Kong community.
Dr Henry Cheng Kar-shun, Managing Director of the New World Group, said, "several Asian countries were severely hit by the largest tsunami disaster in decades, taking tens of thousand of human lives and causing tremendous loss of properties. To bring immediate relief to the tsunami victims, the Group and its 30,000 staff will join hands in this fund-raising initiative that supports UNICEF's emergency humanitarian relief work in the affected countries."
While pledging to make a donation not less than HK$500,000, the New World Group will appeal to all its staff to support its call to donate to UNICEF's relief work, with the Group contributing a dollar for every dollar donated by its staff.
Funds raised will be channeled to help provide such essential supplies as sleeping mats, medicines, blankets, water purification tablets, oral rehydration salts and water tanks, to India and Sri Lanka and other countries with limited resources and badly in need of humanitarian aids, to help ease the plight facing millions of victims in areas of sheltering, water supply, medical care and hygiene.