Tens of Thousands Buried in China Earthquake

Dear Friends,

AmericanTours International and The Noel Foundation has established the CHINA EARTHQUAKE CHILDREN'S FUND to bring aid to the areas hardest hit by the recent 7.9-magnitude earthquake.

As part of the immediate effort we are purchasing tents to help provide shelter to the 5 million people left homeless, many of whom are children sleeping in fields and parking lots. These tents will be considered permanent housing for a very long time due to continuing aftershocks and soil instability. The Fund will also help build a school for children orphaned by the quake.

All contributions to The Noel Foundation are tax deductible and will fund this effort in their entirety. The Noel Foundation will manage and oversee all distribution.

Please make your donation payable to:

The Noel Foundation
6053 West Century Blvd. #700
Los Angeles, California 90045

We hope you will help by sending a check or advising your commitment by e-mail to noel@americantours.com.

Thank you for your thoughtful consideration.

Best regards,

Noel

Press Release

Noel and the ATI team hands out masks and water in Dujiangyan City near the quake’s epicenter, and visits the Juyuan Middle School where an estimated 900 students were buried.

More Photos...

The Noel Foundation - UNIFEM Joint Project

The developing world is overcome by an intensifying poverty that has an especially devastating affect on women and children. The causes of this tragic plight are diverse and complex. Growing national debts, economic policies in poor countries, an increase in the number of female-headed households due to the movement of men from rural areas to cities and towns, wars, natural disasters, and other disruptions have increased the pressure on women. Trapped by increasing consumer costs, falling levels of formal employment and opportunities, and government cuts in social services, the situation of poor women and families continues to deteriorate.

The Noel Foundation and UNIFEM are united in their commitment to make lasting changes for women and children with the development programs which emphasize long-range planning, education, entrepreneurship, and creative problem-solving. Known originally in 1976 as the Voluntary Fund for the United Nations Decade for Women, UNIFEM is now active in more than 100 countries. UNIFEM nurtures and expands the role of women as economic producers of their regions, so they can bring about substantive changes at the community level. As with all productive partnerships, the benefits are mutually rewarding. For UNIFEM, the Foundation acts as a fundraising arm, developing private sector awareness and funds to be placed directly in its program budget. For the Foundation, UNIFEM offers well-established, successful programs throughout the world, which benefit from its philanthropy.

MEXICO

"Queen Bee" Project
Mayan women in the province of Campeche, Mexico were taught the technical and entrepreneurial skills of beekeeping and marketing their products.

Maquiladora Project
Started in response to the brutal sexual assaults and murders of young women working in the factories in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, this program provided personal empowerment through counseling, legal support and job training.

AFRICA

Soweto, South Africa Project
Providing job training and business skills for women to be self-employed in this economically devastated community was a priority for The Noel Foundation in partnership with UNIFEM.

ASIA

Women Entrepreneurs / Southeast Asia
Provided technical training and job skills to women in Thailand, the Philippines and Cambodia to produce goods for sale on the global market. We hope to expand to other countries in the region affected by the Southeast Asian stock market crash.

Jiuzhia Village, Garment Factory Expansion - Mengyin County, China
Jiuzhia is among the poorest villages in an already-depressed area of China. Women in particular suffer from underemployment. The Women's Association of Mengyin County needed support for the expansion of a women-operated knitted underwear factory. The objectives were to expand the factory and recruit and train 300 women in knitting, dyeing and management techniques. UNIFEM supported the project with a Noel Foundation grant of $110,294.

Women's Initiative for Community Development Participation - Pakistan
There are five villages that surround the Balloki headworks which are home for over 300 families. There were no health centers in the region and most women have no formal education. Funded with a $110,709 Noel Foundation grant, the UNIFEM project in Punjab aimed to increase awareness of women's concerns and to increase employment opportunities and generate income. Funding also provided improved support services, particularly in health and nutrition for 200-400 women.

The Philippines

Rural Women's Root Crops Project
With a grant of $29,000 to UNIFEM in partnership with The Noel Foundation and Hunt Alternatives Fund, this project was able to be established to help victims of the Mt. Pinatubo volcano disaster. Production and processing of root crops assisted two problems - underemployment and malnutrition. By increasing household income these women were able to feed their families properly, receive an education and contribute to their communities.