Vanuatu Fundraising Raffles

On behalf of the Vanuatu men living at 45 South Hostel, a huge thank you to Glacier Southern Lakes Helicopters for their generous prize; To Megan Ireland, who designed and printed the tickets – thank you; To Jean Morgan and all the wonderful Cromwell Rotary members who helped sell the tickets - thank you, without your support it would not have been possible; To all the businesses and public who supported us - thank you very much.

Many thanks also to Dave McMillan, Rippon Cherries, for donating a trailer load of firewood. 

We have a group of Vanuatu men in Cromwell who will be working over winter and are going to be sending a container back home so any donated goods are most welcome.

Wendy Sullivan [0274 351363]

Hostel Manager

45 South Management Ltd.

 

Raffle Prize: Helicopter Flight for 2

Raffle Winner: Sheryl Kernahan

Drawn under Police Supervision, 1 May 2015

 

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Firewood Raffle Winner:  Phil Foster

Trillium to the rescue

(L-R) Rotary Club of Whangaparaoa president Brian Mullan, Sherry Day, past president Sarah Carr and students of Wentworth College, with Dennis Day (at the rear by the mast) aboard Trillium.

After departing Chesapeake Bay, USA and cruising half-way around the world as part of a World ARC sailing rally, Dennis and Sherry Day called into Vanuatu late last year on their 14.8 metre Hallberg-Rassy yacht S/V Trillium. They then sailed to Auckland, NZ and, after a two-month holiday away from sailing, they returned to their yacht.

...Then came the numbing news of death and destruction by Cyclone Pam on Friday March 13 in Vanuatu.

Dennis and Sherry talked with friends in San Diego, USA about how affected they were by the tragedy in Vanuatu and how they wanted to do something to help. Fortunately, one of their friends is a Rotarian, of the Old Mission Rotary Club in San Diego, and he suggested that Dennis and Sherry get in touch with Rotary in Auckland.

Enter the Rotary Club of Whangaparaoa, NZ which provided an immediate and positive response to Dennis and Sherry. Sherry compiled a list of essential clothing, cooking and other survival items that she knew from experience would be needed in Vanuatu. President of Rotary Whangaparaoa Brian Mullan and past-president Sarah Carr immediately set up two separate Facebook appeals and two separate collection points at their respective homes.

Sherry and Dennis were welcomed as special guests to the March 26 Rotary Whangaparaoa meeting, when they again told their story and unfolded their plans to a rapt audience, after which they were presented with a certificate of appreciation by Brian.

Dennis and Sherry also appealed to Wentworth College at Gulf Harbour and had made a presentation to them on the much needed items. The students and staff of the college rose to the challenge too, by initiating a similar collection.

The collections by Rotary Whangaparaoa and Wentworth College were taken by Dennis and Sherry Day, in their yacht Trillium and on a second yacht, owned by friends. They departed Auckland after Easter and meet with 4-6 other yachts at Opua in the Bay of Islands before all headed up to Vanuatu, and distributed the essential relief items in the more remote outer islands.

This is a great example of Rotary providing the practical and effective international links between non-Rotarians with resources and Rotarians with the network and ability to coordinate delivery of much needed relief.

There is a great blog for Trillium at http://sv-trillium.blogspot.co..nz and regular updates will be posted by Sherry Day.

Vanuatu update: Rotary’s allocated islands are Epi Island and the Shepherd Group of five small islands where Rotary will focus on rebuilding hospital aid post buildings and water collection off the roof. If you can assist Vanuatu following Cyclone Pam, please email the District 9910 Chair of Vanuatu Projects PDG Lindsay Ford ford.rotary@optusnet.com.au.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED – Rotary Emergency Response Kits (ERKs)

 

All 1000 Rotary Emergency Response Kits have now been distributed in Vanuatu. Rotary New Zealand is indebted in its partnership on this occasion with World Vision who provided the logistics and personnel in Vanuatu

and included in the distribution World Vision Shelter Tool Kits and Tarpaulins which complimented the contents of the Rotary Emergency Response Kits.

Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu: ShelterBox aid is being distributed in Tanna

VANUATU — (April 8, 2015) — Urgent Shelter Kits are on their way to communities devastated by Cyclone Pam on Tanna Island, in Vanuatu’s south. Cyclone Pam struck Vanuatu with devastating force, claiming 8 lives and destroying homes, hospitals and crops.

 

The Category Five cyclone was one of the worst storms to ever hit the region. It is estimated that 166,000 people have been affected, and between 50-90% of infrastructure destroyed.

 

ShelterBox is working with CARE International who is responding in Tafea Province in the south, where 32,000 people live.

Large parts of Tanna, which is home to around 24,000 people, remain cut off due to landslides and severe cyclone damage making many roads impassable. Aerial assessments indicate that in some communities all the homes have been severely damaged or destroyed.

“Decimation is the only word for what has happened here,” said CARE Vantuatu’s Program Manager Charlie Damon in Lenakal on Tanna Island’s western coast. “You cannot see a leaf on a tree. What used to be a green island, is now brown. All crops have been destroyed, all traditional housing is gone. People are without water. This is a grave situation down here.”

“This is a country of 83 islands stretched over many hundreds of miles of ocean. Most people in the country live in rural communities, and even making contact with most areas remains extremely challenging,” said CARE’s Tom Perry in Port Vila.

“Communications are still down, roads are blocked by landslides and many bridges are broken or have collapsed. CARE is doing what we can to get help to those that need it, but this is a massive logistical challenge.”

ShelterBox Response Teams are busy assisting survivors in the Tafea Province with urgently needed shelter. ShelterBox volunteer Greg Moran (AUS) reports that the urgently needed Shelter Kits which have arrived today on a barge had travelled overnight from Port Vila. The barge is carrying a large amount of ShelterBox aid for the island and the team’s next challenge will be to get the aid to where it is most needed.

Media contact: Mike Cahill +64 (0) 21 328084 mc@shelterbox.org.nz

About ShelterBox: Every year thousands of communities, often with no warning, lose their homes, their possessions and their livelihoods. Every day they are faced with a battle for survival.

 

ShelterBox provides emergency shelter and vital supplies to support communities around the world overwhelmed by disaster and humanitarian crisis.

Since we were founded in 2000, we have responded to more than 250 earthquakes, floods, volcanoes, tsunamis, hurricanes, landslides, typhoons and conflict, in some 90 countries, delivering emergency humanitarian aid to communities in need.

An update about Rotary New Zealand response to Cyclone Pam - Vanuatu. Your help is still needed.

ROTARY CYCLONE PAM – VANUATU – URGENT APPEAL FOR DONATIONS OF CASH – Bulletin 3

We now have 1000 ERKs either in Vanuatu or en route.

600 left on HMNZS Canterbury last Sunday – two and half 20 foot container loads. Prime TV News covered Sunday night.

Huge thanks to MFAT, RNZDF (Navy), Jenners Worldwide Freight Ltd for making this possible.

The value of the consignments is approx $600k so we desperately need that equivalent to replace the stock.

The Public Response to our Appeal which has appeared on a number of websites has been well received and we are grateful for donations large and small.

We have received many calls and emails from people representing Ni Vanuatu people in New Zealand and New Zealand residents from other Pacific countries with requests to assist them to send containers of donations in kind and other goods. Each is being considered, but not encouraged.

The reasons are many, essentially to protect the Vanuatu economy and not impair the livelihood of the established business community. A lot of DIK sent by well wishers is often inappropriate.

A priority for funding is re-establishment of safer drinking water. 75 communities are being considered to provide potable water and reduce the sanitation and health consequences which arise from water sources damaged by the cyclone.  Following on from a successful project in Samoa as a result of the last Cyclone devastating that country, water harvesting roofs and tanks maybe installed in  schools in strategic locations which community members can access which will prevent the closure of schools due to sanitation and health concerns. 

Reestablishments of home vegetable gardens also an urgent need which is being considered a priority.

New Zealand Rotary Volunteer Peter Wilson has arrived in Vanuatu to undertake needs assessments having determined a number of islands as those we should support given that Rotary has provided infrastructure to their communities in the past and know the islands well. Rotarians in Vanuatu have suffered loss to homes and businesses and need support whilst they tend to their own personal issues. Trauma is an issue often forgotten at these times.

Vanuatu is made up of 83 islands over a vast area of ocean and limited access mostly by sea. From the most southern to the most northern the distance is approx 1000 kilometres in a straight line.

Given it is only 10 days since Cyclone Pam hit, we believe we are well on track to make a real difference over the coming days, weeks, months and possibly years.

 DONATIONS TO OUR APPEAL ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE

 Four Donation options are:

 

At any Westpac Branch or by Internet Banking

Quoting   03 1702 0192208 01             Ref.  888 or for ERKs specifically 308

 

Paypal  at   –     www.rnzwcs.org

 

Give a Little at -   https://givealittle.co.nz/org/rnzwcs/share

 

Cheque to

 

RNZWCS Limited (Rotary New Zealand)

PO Box 20309

Christchurch 8543

New Zealand

 

Keikeri Rotary raise money for Vanuatu

Vanuatu collection raises $643.20

Bucket of love. Kerikeri Rotarians Vicki Douglas (left) and Peter Heath with the collection bucket into which locals poured more than $600 destined for the people of Vanuatu in just five hours.

People visiting The Old Packhouse Market in Kerikeri today (Saturday 21 March) put $643.20 into the Rotary Club of Kerikeri’s collection bucket for use in Vanuatu’s Cyclone Pam recovery effort.

The money was raised in just five hours.

The impromptu collection was organised by Rotarians Vicki Douglas and Owen Smith on a stall donated to Rotary by the owners of the market.

“Every single cent will find its way to Vanuatu,” said Rotary Club of Kerikeri President Bruce Mathieson. “That’s one of the benefits of donating to a cause through Rotary. There are no fees or deductions of any kind.”

The donation will be sent as cash to Rotary clubs in Vanuatu, for use as they see fit.

“This way there is no delay and the money will be used by the local people for the local people,” Mathieson said.

“We are extremely grateful to everybody who donated today. As usual, Kerikeri came up trumps.”

Rotary in Nadi provide support for Vanuatu

The following is an article courtesy of the Fiji Sun followed by further actions by Nadi Rotary to aid for the Cyclone Pam disaster in Vanuatu:

The Rotary and Rotaract clubs of Nadi held an aid campaign for cyclone victims in Vanuatu yesterday.

The joint initiative was coined by the Nadi branches.

Present at the drive was Member of Parliament and Rotary International member Sanjit Patel.

“This is the first relief that we want to send quickly and there will be people joining hands in providing assistance to our friends in Vanuatu and obviously Government will help,” he said.

Both clubs will be working with sister associations in Australia and New Zealand who are stationed in Vanuatu today to aid the distribution.

He said the response from the public has been outstanding.

“So far we have had people from Sabeto and even Kerebula bringing in bags of clothes and some have volunteered to get food. I’m proud of the people in Nadi who have been genuinely giving whatever they can,” he said.

The Rotary International club in Nadi plans to discuss logistics with the Fijian Government and try to provide food rations as well.

“We can show our compassion for our neighbours when they need us the most and showing them that Fiji is with Vanuatu all the way,” Mr Patel said.

Meanwhile, Rotary Club of Nadi president Krupesh Patel said the public donated basic necessities.

“Since we cannot be there with them psychically as Rotarians we thought people would really need these basic things,” said Mr Patel.

The collection from the drive included house hold items like kitchen utensils, curtains, linen beddings, shoes and toys.

The team in Port Vila will be assessing areas which are accessible for distribution.

Source Fiji Sun – 22/03/2015

In addition, Nadi Rotary report:

1.       We have collected just over ½ a 20ft Container load of items.

2.       This project / appeal to the public was done for 1 week where we printed posters, flyers and advertisements on Radio and TV as well.

3.       We had 2 locations points where all collection was done and 1 area where Nadi Rotaractors were doing all the sorting of the items.

 

Currently we are talking to few freight companies who can quickly get this shipment across to Rotary Club of Port Vila.

Rotary's initial response to Cyclone Pam

The picture shows the power of the cyclone and damage to structure and trees
that was to become widespread

Rotary has responded very quickly along with many other NGO's to the devastation of Cyclone Pam on Vanuatu.

600 prepositioned Emergency Response Kits have been sent by RNZWCS - www.rnzwcs.org.nz 

1000 shelterbox kits have been sent by ShelterBox - www.shelterbox.org.nz 

Both RNZWCS and ShelterBox have also launched cash appeals via Give-a-Little to make available further aid.

Details of these two appeals are on their websites and at www.cyclonepam.rotarysouthpacific.org

Included in April
Rotary Down Under
magazine