Mercy Relief’s 6-member response team returned from the Philippines on Wednesday 7 Oct having delivered and distributed essential supplies to the communities hit by Typhoon Ketsana. The team arrived in Manila on the Friday (2 Oct) after Ketsana struck Luzon and caused widespread devastation to the country which was already severely battered by Typhoon Morakot a month earlier.

MR's relief team assessing the flooded areas

MR’s relief team assessing the flooded areas

The team partnered the local social NGO Gawad Kalinga to extend aid to the victims. A total of 18,500 food parcels (including freshly-cooked and ready-to-eat meals) and 20,000 water purification tablets worth S$52,000 were distributed during the team’s five day stay there. The Canossian Sisters provided the space at the Canossian Institute and helped organize relief distributions to the victims in the Paco and St Matteo, Rizal areas.

Relief supplies procured through donations from the Hearts in Singapore

Relief supplies procured through donations from the Hearts in Singapore

Support for accommodation in the Philippines was also provided by The Heritage Hotel, part of the Millenium & Copthorne Hotels (M&C) who provided the team not just complimentary shelter while they were there, but also manpower and cash donations to assist the Mercy Relief team. In the midst of its relief operations, MR also facilitated its US-based partner Direct Relief International efforts to support the high demands for medication in the Philippines by identifying the relevant and appropriate healthcare beneficiaries.

On Friday, 2 Oct Mercy Relief also sent a disaster response team to Danang, Vietnam to assess the ground situation at the heavily flooded areas and to provide aid to the victims. While in Vietnam, the team worked with WARECOD (Centre for Water Resources Conservation and Development) and the local district newspaper office to distribute SGD 20,000 worth of relief supplies consisting of 2,200 foodpacks and more than 500 units of hygiene sets to the affected people in 5 villages in Quang Nam province.

A little gift of comfort for the affected villagers

A little gift of comfort for the affected villagers

Relief supplies distribution

Relief supplies distribution

Relief efforts in the Philippines and Vietnam will resume by the end of October 2009.

About Mercy Relief

Mercy Relief is a Singaporean humanitarian organisation which engages in both disaster relief and sustainable development programmes. It was established in 2003 as an independent non-governmental humanitarian charity responding to the human tragedies in Asia. Mercy Relief’s aid programme focuses on providing timely and effective assistance to disaster-stricken communities and has maintained the delivery of emergency aid within 72 hours from the point of appeal for assistance.  

In the past 12 years, Mercy Relief has disbursed over S$32 million in aid across 40 disaster relief and 53 sustainable development initiatives. Mercy Relief has impacted an aggregate of 2 million lives in 24 countries and areas, namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, DPR Korea, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal,  Pakistan, Palestine, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and Yemen.

For more information, you may call us at 6514 6322 or email corporateaffairs@mercyrelief.org

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