AmeriCares Sending Aid Convoy for Tsunami Survivors in Japan

Personal hygiene products to arrive at shelters and distribution hubs this weekend

STAMFORD, Conn., March 25, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AmeriCares is delivering 20 tons of hygiene products for thousands of earthquake and tsunami survivors in northern Japan still living in evacuation centers two weeks after the epic disaster.  

The delivery includes enough antibacterial soap, toothpaste, baby diapers and other personal care items for thousands of children and adults left homeless. The two, 10-ton truckloads also contain 5,000 bottles of shampoo generously donated by Procter & Gamble. AmeriCares relief workers in Japan are coordinating the aid shipment with a Japanese nonprofit organization. It is expected to arrive in Sendai, the largest city in the impact zone, on Sunday.

An AmeriCares emergency response team was on the ground in Japan within 48 hours of the disaster assessing the health needs of survivors. Personal hygiene items were among the top needs identified for the hundreds of thousands of people whose homes were washed away by the tsunami, or cannot return home because of the threat of radiation exposure. The demand has grown as health officials raise concerns about disease spreading.

AmeriCares is working to meet the needs of hospitals and shelters in Japan and preparing to send additional deliveries of medicines, medical supplies and humanitarian aid in the coming weeks.

AmeriCares has provided medical relief and humanitarian assistance to millions affected by natural disasters and man-made crises around the world for nearly 30 years including the 1995 Kobe earthquake in Japan, the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia and the 2010 earthquakes in Haiti and Chile. Our emergency response work often lasts years beyond the initial disaster, as we rebuild hospitals and health clinics and restore health services.

About AmeriCares:

AmeriCares is a nonprofit global health and disaster relief organization which delivers medicines, medical supplies and aid to people in need around the world and across the United States. Since it was established in 1982, AmeriCares has distributed more than $10 billion in humanitarian aid to 147 countries.  For more information, log onto www.AmeriCares.org.

CONTACT: Donna Porstner: 203-658-9579

[email protected]

SOURCE AmeriCares

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