At the same time the United Nations system was pledging disaster relief support for the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast region of the United States, UN staff members were also planning how they could personally help victims of the disaster. Less than a week after Hurricane Katrina tore through the southern states of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, wreaking havoc and devastation across the region, the United Nations Staff Relief Committee and a clothing drive were organized to aid the victims.
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| UN Photo |
In its first three days of operation, the United Nations Staff Relief Fund had collected over $22,000 in cash and check donations, with more expected through wire transfers. Committee Chairperson Rosemarie Waters said contribution was also coming in from other offices, including Washington, D.C., Geneva, Nairobi and Addis Ababa. “We’ve had a great response, people have been so generous. We’ve been receiving boxes of $20 bills”, she said, adding that with over 90 volunteers involved with the Committee, response has so far been overwhelming. “Seeing the compelling pictures on television, you can’t turn away from something like this.” The Fund will remain open until 31 October, with a fund-raising programme of events.
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| UN Photo |
The clothing drive, coordinated through a local NGO group called “Give Them a Hand”, was held on 2, 7 and 9 September, with UN staff donating over 450 boxes of clothing, baby food, towels, toothpastes and toothbrushes, which would be flown to the devastated areas by the non-profit organization Airline Ambassadors International. UN staff member Gordon Tapper, founder of “Give Them a Hand”, said that the organization’s experience in coordinating relief responses to other emergencies allowed them to respond swiftly to Hurricane Katrina. “Our groups have been doing a lot of relief work in a variety of different countries”, he said, “but this is the first time that we have responded to a natural disaster in the United States.” Previous projects have included supporting orphanages and children’s homes in Latin America and the Caribbean affected by Hurricane Irene in 2004.
All money raised by the Staff Relief Committee will be donated through the American Red Cross, the lead agency coordinating the disaster relief effort, and Habitat for Humanity for for reconstruction projects.
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