Manufacturers of garment print equipment are donating tens of thousands of pounds to support relief for people affected by last month’s earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
Roland DG Corporation, based in Hamamatsu in Japan, has announced it is donating £30,600 (five million Japanese yen) to the Japan Committee of humanitarian relief organisation Unicef.
It will be used to provide relief to people affected by the earthquakes in south-east Turkey and north-west Syria in February and contribute to the rebuilding of their communities.
Announcing the contribution, the company added: “Roland DG Corporation extends its very sincerest wishes for a swift recovery of each region impacted by the disaster.”
The Ricoh Group, based in Tokyo, has donated £73,500 (12 million yen) via Japan Platform, an international emergency humanitarian aid non-profit organisation. This will be used for food and supplies such as blankets, tents and hygiene products for those affected.
Ricoh’s donation will also support the efforts of Ahbap, a charity in Turkey which provides aid in social and environmental responses.
In addition, FreeWill, Ricoh’s Japan-based employee-led endeavour for social contribution activities, is donating £3,000 (500,000 yen) for medical support and supplies to Peace Winds Japan, a non-governmental organisation that supports people affected by humanitarian crises and livelihood crises.
Ricoh has also launched an employee donation programme in partnership with international non-governmental organisation Save the Children Japan. This enables Ricoh employees in Japan to personally contribute humanitarian aid to affected children in the area.
Ricoh group companies across the world are also undertaking initiatives to support the humanitarian crisis. This includes Ricoh working with the TOG Educational Foundation in Turkey to support children in affected areas with their schooling needs.
The initial two earthquakes killed over 50,000 people and injured 100,000 more. The United Nations Development Programme has estimated that the destruction left 1.5 million people homeless, creating a need for 500,000 new homes.
For companies in the UK, support is best channelled through the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) at dec.org.uk/appeal/turkey-syria-earthquake-appeal.
