NEWS

Today the Bulgarian Red Cross sent the first cash transfer of 135,197 Bulgarian Leva (BGN) donation for the victims of catastrophic disasters in Japan.
The transferred amount is part of the funds, donated by the whole Bulgarian society.

As of 16:00 on 16.05.2011, the overall cash donations of Bulgarians for Japan amount to 217 474 BGN. Bulgarian Red Cross wishes to thank all donors for their empathy for the tragedy suffered by the friendly people of Japan.

All EU Red Cross Societies continue to raise funds for the victims in Japan. The humanitarian situation in the country remains alarming. Nearly 500 000 people were evacuated from the affected areas and are housed in temporary shelters, facing daily needs for food, fresh and clean water and health care. The Japanese Red Cross is helping the evacuees and will continue to support them after they are transferred to temporary housing. Significant financial resources will be required to carry out such a serious and massive operation, which will help the society restore its normal life in the coming months and years.

Thousands of people have registered themselves and their relatives at the Restoring Family Links website of the ICRC: http://www.familylinks.icrc.org/eng/familylinks-japan

The Bulgarian Red Cross continues to collect funds in its BGN bank account:
UNICREDIT BULBANK
IBAN: BG 64 UNCR 7630 1078 6609 13
BIC: UNCRBGSF
BULGARIAN RED CROSS (For the earthquake victims in Japan).

The bank account was published on the websites of the Bulgarian Red Cross www.redcross.bg, the website of the Japanese Embassy in Sofia and the website of the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Donations are being collected through SMS to short number 1255 at all three Bulgarian mobile operators.

Donations can be also made through an on-line form at the Bulgarian Red Cross website. There you can find information about the funds raised and about the activities of the Japanese Red Cross and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in Japan, as well as a list of donors.
BRC will continue to inform the media and the public about the disaster response actions, as well as about all activities of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement to support the people of Japan.