Research

Three years ago, on 12 May 2008, the most devastating natural disaster in China in decades struck the country's southwestern Sichuan Province.The 8.0-magnitude earthquake affected the lives of millions of people, killing 88,000, injuring 400,000 and leaving 5 million homeless.

Immediately after the earthquake, the Government of China led a remarkable disaster response and relief programme. Today, life in the affected communities has resumed. Rebirth, reconstruction and renewed hope have come to replace the death, destruction and despair of the earthquake. On this third anniversary, UNICEF remembers what was lost
three years ago, celebrates what has been achieved since, and reaffirms our commitment to children and women in the Sichuan earthquake zone.

The magnitude of the earthquake triggered, for the first time in recent history, a request by the Government of China for international assistance. The generosity of donors in the days, weeks, months and years after the earthquake allowed UNICEF to support the government's response by providing emergency supplies, making policy recommendations, building capacity and improving systems and services for children. Over the course of the last three years, UNICEF has, in collaboration with partners and local communities, been able to make an important and lasting contribution to recovery and to the lives of hundreds of thousands of children and their families.