Rotarians in Cumbria and Lancashire have raised over £35,000 for the Typhoon Haiyan relief effort in the Philippines. The money will be spent on sending much needed disaster boxes to the region, however the scale of the devastation means that many more boxes will be required and further funds are needed to purchase more of them and ship them out.
The funds raised so far are set to rise as Rotarians have been out and about collecting in town centres and shopping malls over the weekend and a concert by the Barrow Male Voice Choir on December 5 is being dedicated to the appeal.
Kevin Walsh, District Governor for Rotary in Cumbria and Lancashire, says: “Whilst Rotarians in our area have a lot of experience of local flooding disasters, the scale of this event – as with the Tsunami of 2004 – is difficult to comprehend from afar. We will be working with our Rotary colleagues on the ground in the Philippines to assess how we can help with the longer term recovery efforts. In the meantime if organisations or the public want to donate they can contact their local Rotary club.”
Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland (RIBI) is calling for donations to the four Rotary supported survival box projects, Shelterbox, Aquabox, Disaster Aid UK and Ireland and Water Survival Box. RIBI has also set up a disaster fund to support the reconstruction of communities such as rebuilding schools and hospitals in the long term.
What is your club doing to help the Philippines? Tell us below.
