5.16.2008 - 12:16pm ET

(CSRwire) MILLWOOD, VA.- May 16 - /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Less than a week after committing medical relief efforts to the people of Myanmar, devastated by Cyclone Nargis, Project HOPE, an international health education and humanitarian assistance organization, is again mobilizing its full resources, this time to meet the urgent medical needs for the people of central China devastated by the massive earthquake, which has claimed over 20,000 lives.

"I am saddened by the vast loss of life and physical destruction that has impacted Asia during the past week," said John P. Howe, III, M.D. President and CEO of Project HOPE. "We continue to use all available resources to respond to demanding crises throughout the world and, in the coming days and weeks, we will work to expedite the delivery of aid to both ravaged regions."

Project HOPE has been working in China for 25 years and currently has staff on the ground in three different cities. Working with both partners in the United States, and partners within China, Project HOPE is quickly moving to expedite the delivery of critically needed medically supplies to regions affected by the earthquake.

A team of doctors and nurses from Project HOPE’s flagship program in China, the Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, has already been dispatched to provide immediate care to the victims of earthquake.

Project HOPE’s commitment to help the survivors in Myanmar includes working with agencies on the ground to deliver the medical supplies that will be used to answer the immediate need for first aid treatment, as well as working to provide additional medical assistance that can address the long-term impact of the disaster.

"Critical situations like this require immediate humanitarian aid, but more importantly a team of health care providers that can assess both the present need and also prepare for the need derived from the lasting impacts that these disasters create," said Dr. Howe.

Individuals may contribute to Project HOPE’s relief efforts in Myanmar and China and other humanitarian efforts by making donations online at www.projecthope.org.

Founded in 1958, Project HOPE (Health Opportunities for People Everywhere) is dedicated to providing lasting solutions to health problems with the mission of helping people to help themselves. Identifiable to many by the SS HOPE, the world’s first peacetime hospital ship, Project HOPE now conducts land-based medical training and health education programs in 35 countries across five continents. For more information, please visit www.projecthope.com.

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