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New Zealanders have so far given about $130,000 to the Burma/Myanmar cyclone appeal run by Catholic aid agency Caritas, and donations continue to flow in.
Caritas director Mike Smith said it's a particularly pleasing response, given the perception that aid was not getting through, or being diverted by the Myanmar government.
"A lot of callers have wanted to check whether their money will get through to help," he said. "Fortunately we've been able to reassure them that our funds are being channelled through the international Caritas network to a relief response set up with the Catholic Church network in Burma/Myanmar."
"From day one of the disaster, the Catholic Church responded from its limited resources, reaching some of the remotest villages with the first delivery of aid. Since then, it has been supported by an international Caritas team," said Mr Smith.
A 3-month emergency response programme is now in place to provide at least 60,000 people with immediate food, water, shelter, health supplies and other support. The beneficiaries will be in the worst affected areas of Yangon and the Irrawaddy delta.
An international Caritas appeal has been launched for NZD10.5 million and Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand has already forwarded $64,000 to that. Public donations raised by Caritas will be supplemented by additional funding of over $100,000 from the New Zealand Government's aid agency NZAID.
In view of the great and ongoing need for relief and rehabilitation in Burma/Myanmar, Caritas is continuing with its Appeal. Donations can be made in the following ways:
Phone 0900 4 11 11 to make an automatic $20 donation;
Phone 0800 22 10 22 to make credit card donations;
Donate online using a credit card at www.caritas.org.nz; or
Post donations to: Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand, PO Box 12-193, Thorndon, Wellington 6144, NEW ZEALAND.
Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is a member of the Caritas Internationalis network of 162 Catholic relief, development, and social service organisations working in over 200 countries and territories.
For more information contact Martin de Jong, Communications and International Advocacy Coordinator. Phone: +64 4-496 1742 or +64 21-909 688.
All Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand media releases are available at http://www.caritas.org.nz
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
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