The Finnish Ambassador Antti Kuosmanen on Friday donated 400,000 euros to China through the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for psycho-social support in quake-stricken Sichuan Province.

"With this new contribution the Finnish government wishes to manifest its sympathy to the victims of the tragedy and its readiness to help their rehabilitation as soon as possible," said Kuosmanen at the signing ceremony of the Co-financing Agreement between Finland and the UNFPA.

The Finnish government had offered 500,000 euros in May and a batch of relief materials worth 1.4 million euros in July to help with quake relief and rehabilitation.

The new donation will go to the project titled Protection and Assistance to Vulnerable Populations Affected by the Sichuan earthquake. The project is designed to provide psycho-social support for the most vulnerable survivors for one year.

"The trauma suffered from a disaster of this magnitude can never be underestimated," said Bernard Coquelin, UNFPA Representative in China.

He said the UNFPA knows that psycho-social support is a critical and long-term need and they are working closely with China to ensure all these needs are met with the help of trained staff.

In the aftermath of the magnitude 8 earthquake on May 12, psycho-social service teams, including an estimated 1,000 psychiatrists and psychologists, were mobilized from across China to serve in the affected areas, said Coquelin.

"But the needs remain enormous among the most disadvantaged involving children, the elderly and those with quake-related injuries and disabilities."

The devastating earthquake centering on Wenchuan County of Sichuan left more than 80,000 dead or missing.

(Xinhua News Agency December 13, 2008)