Dunmurry tenants raise funds for earthquake appeal
TENANTS of Ashley Lodge, Sunnymede Park and Harris
Crescent, which are Trinity Housing Association schemes in Dunmurry,
have held a fundraising Coffee Morning to help the survivors of the
earthquake in Haiti.
Scheme co-ordinators Lesley Moore and Caroline Swann invited local traders to donate prizes for a raffle, with the morning raising a magnificent £7I0.
Arthur Canning, Chief Executive of Trinity Housing commented: "Trinity Housing is very proud of the fantastic effort staff and tenants have made to help with the appeal for Haiti."
After raising the money, it was decided to donate the funds to Christian Aid's Haiti Earthquake Appeal.
The cheque was presented by the tenants to Adrian Horsman, Media Manager of Christian Aid Ireland, who gave a talk about the agency's work in Haiti.
Adrian spoke about his own visit to Haiti last year where he witnessed Christian Aid's longterm projects in the impoverished Caribbean country. These include health clinics, feeding centers, rural schools, and livestock support for poor dairy farmers who provide daily milk for primary schools in the sprawling capital Port-au-Prince.
Christian Aid has been working with local partner organisations in Haiti for many years, and when the earthquake struck on January I2, these partners were able to provide almost immediate medical help, food and temporary shelter for many of the survivors.
Christian Aid's own office building in Port-au-Prince was destroyed, and three staff members were trapped for a while before being pulled bruised and shaken from the wreckage. They are now hard at work on the relief effort.
Adrian took questions from the residents who had been so generous, and said that Christian Aid would be in Haiti for many years to come working with local people there to rebuild their livelihoods and country.
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Rotary appeal raises money for more Shelterboxes for Haiti
PEOPLE in Lisburn are continuing to do their bit
for the victims of the devastating earthquake which struck Haiti.
Members of the Lagan Valley Rotary Club thanked all those who gave so generously during their collection for Shelterbox at Marks & Spencers at Sprucefield on Saturday 2Ist February.
Customers there were able to see a Shelterbox for themselves while members of the club explained how each box supplies an extended family of up to I0 people with a tent and essential equipment.
£1540 was donated which amounts to three boxes - each box costs an average of £490 including all materials, packing, storage and distribution to Haiti.
Despite the earthquake happening over five weeks ago there is still an urgent need for secure shelter there as many people are forced to endure turmoilous weather conditions without a proper roof over their heads.
ShelterBox Response Team member Jane Nash, who just returned from the Haitian capital Port au Prince, says the importance of getting people into tents cannot be underestimated. "The rains are going to be really hard and it is going to take a long time to get transitional housing up and running. Our tents will withstand heavy rain. Would you want to be in a tarpaulin sheet in a torrential downpour when the ground will be soaked? The look on one woman's face when I gave her a tent was like it was the best thing she had ever had," said Jane.
So far, more than 7,000 ShelterBoxes and disaster relief tents have been distributed in Haiti which will provide shelter for 70,000 people.
Ulster Star
26/02/2010
