Husqvarna Group donates 500 chainsaws to UNHCR’s emergency work in the Philippines
500 Husqvarna chainsaws have just arrived in the Philippines. The donation is done to support UNHCR’s relief efforts in the aftermath of the Typhoon Haiyan that struck the Philippines late 2013. The donation has a value of SEK 2.4 million.
The Typhoon Haiyan left more than 6,000 dead and affected an estimated 14 million people, of whom four million lost their homes. Shelter is still a major concern across affected areas and chainsaws will be distributed by the UN refugee agency UNHCR and its partners, so that fallen coconut trees can be converted to lumber to be used in rebuilding homes.
“The provision of chainsaws means that people, who have lost their houses, their jobs and maybe also family members, get a possibility to restart. They get equipment to clear the ground and re-build their own and their neighbors’ houses. We are proud that our products can support them moving from tents to houses,” says Brian Belanger, acting head of Asia/Pacific, Husqvarna Group.
“People in the Philippines are still in great need. Entire communities will benefit from this donation,” says Katinka Lindholm, National Director, Sverige för UNHCR.
In the Philippines, UNHCR Country Representative Bernard Kerblat agrees. “There are an estimated 33 million coconut trees damaged along the typhoon path. This is a huge devastation for the agricultural communities in Leyte and Eastern Samar. At least, the trees shall be used to construct buildings, this is when the chainsaws will come handy. The idea is to assist people to rebuild their lives so that they can leave the evacuation centers and move into homes of their own,” Kerblat explains.
Per local regulations in the Philippines, each of the chainsaws will be registered with the National Coconut Authority. After the clearance job is done, all chainsaws will be turned over to authorities – the police, fire department and/or local government units – as pre-positioned assets for next potential emergency response.
The donation is made via UNHCR’s Swedish fundraising organization Sverige för UNHCR and with this donation Husqvarna Group enters a 2014 partnership with Sverige för UNHCR.
For additional information
Husqvarna Group
+46 8 738 90 80 or press@husqvarnagroup.com
Sverige för UNHCR
Jenny Holmström
+46 702 78 65 36
Jenny.holmstrom@sverigeforunhcr.se
About UNHCR
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, also known as the UN refugee agency, was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. It is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country. It also has a mandate to help stateless people. In more than six decades, the agency has helped tens of millions of people restart their lives. unhcr.org
Sverige för UNHCR is UNHCR’s Swedish fundraising organization which raises funds from the private sector in Sweden for UNHCR in support of protection and assistance programmes for refugees and other people of concern. Sverige för UNHCR wants to raise awareness within the civil society in Sweden about the situation and needs of refugees worldwide and other people of concern to UNHCR. fnflykting.se
Husqvarna Group
Husqvarna Group is the world’s largest producer of outdoor power products including robotic lawn mowers, garden tractors, chainsaws and trimmers. The Group is also the European leader in consumer watering products and one of the world leaders in cutting equipment and diamond tools for the construction and stone industries. The Group’s products and solutions are sold via dealers and retailers to both consumers and professional users in more than 100 countries. Net sales in 2012 amounted to SEK 31 billion, and the Group had 15,400 employees on average in more than 40 countries.