A 7.8-magnitude earthquake devastated the south-western province of Sichuan on 12 May 2008 and left more than 69,000 dead and 18,000 missing, with more than 374,000 injured. Approximately 15 million people were displaced, with around 5 million having lost their homes. The cost of the earthquake to individuals is equivalent to 15 years of income.

The scale of the Red Cross operation – taking into account funding from the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) and international partners – surpasses even that of the Tsunami operation. Relief and reconstruction efforts are comparable to rebuilding Sweden or major cities such as Osaka, Los Angeles, New Delhi or London.

The rapid pace of reconstruction has already seen more than 16,000 families move into their new homes built with Red Cross Red Crescent assistance. 16,000 more homes are currently under construction. The IFRC will be giving reconstruction support to a further 34,000 households, targeting the most vulnerable in the community.

The Red Cross Red Crescent partners will also assist with the reconstruction of more than 660 schools and over 2,000 hospitals and clinics in Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi. The reconstruction effort and integrated community-based programmes are expected to continue through December 2010.