~Opens special WIB account~
The St. Maarten Tzu Chi Foundation is following in the footsteps of its international arm to raise emergency aid for victims of the devastating typhoon Yolanda that has wreaked havoc in the Philippines.
The local Tzu Chi Foundation has a special account at Windward Islands Bank (WIB), where individuals and businesses in the community can make donations, which will be dispatched to help victims of this super storm.
The WIB account number is: #219322-01.
Tzu Chi St. Maarten Commissioner Sandra Cheung has expressed deep regret and sadness to the people of the Philippines for their devastating loss. She said given the distance of the Philippines from St. Maarten it is not wise to make donations in kind, but rather to make cash donations to send to the disaster victims.
Tzu Chi Foundation in the Philippines has already begun disaster assessment and gathering information, while Tzu Chi’s head office in Taiwan has already sent 200,000 instant rice and 30,000 blankets to the Philippines as part of its initial response to the super storm.
Tzu Chi’s head office has also set up a relief account with love donations pouring in from various countries to assist victims. All funds raised in St. Maarten will be sent to Tzu Chi headquarters in Taiwan and forwarded to Tzu Chi Philippines to distribute to recipients.
Internally, Tzu Chi volunteers in St. Maarten will be collecting donations from their friends and family to also help victims.
Cheung said any amount, big or small, can make a difference to someone in need in the Philippines need at this time. "The amount you donate is not an issue; what is important is for us to take action to help someone when they are in need. This will be a good deed for St. Maarten to create great blessings by helping another country. Tzu Chi believes that many drops of water can create a river."
Philippines officials estimated the damage of Super Typhoon Yolanda to be in the vicinity of at least 10,000. Nearly ten million people were affected.
Caption for photos:
International Tzu Chi volunteers putting together relief items for victims of the devastating typhoon Yolanda, which wreaked havoc in the Philippines.