Following the earthquake that hit Amatrice, Accumoli and Pescara del Tronto in central Italy on 24 August, Obiettivo Lavoro (now part of Randstad) have sought to provide assistance and solidarity to the stricken region.

The largest tremor woke everyone within a radius of over 100 km. The 6.2-magnitude quake hit at 3:36am local time and the resulting death toll has surpassed 240.

Obiettivo Lavoro’s first priority was to check the condition of its workers, a process that was already underway before dawn. The company had recently placed a number of temporary nurses and other health assistants at the hospital in Amatrice and managed to get in touch with them all to ensure they were all safe, back working and assisting in the recovery efforts. Obiettivo Lavoro then managed to quickly find additional nurses and health assistants and fully took on their fees and costs where necessary. These workers have been provided with lodging in makeshift structures in Rieti, a one hour drive from the disaster zone.

Obiettivo Lavoro are no strangers in responding to these kinds of incidents with their first intervention in Peru in 2007, followed by L’Aquila in 2009 and Emilia Romagna in 2012.  Unfortunately they found themselves at the forefront of recovery efforts once again last week.