Five organisations donate to tsunamis disaster victims

Accra, Jan. 10, GNA - Five organisations and Greater Accra Regional Minister, Sheikh Ibrahim Cudjoe Quaye, on Monday donated items and cheques totalling 102 million cedis to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Office in Accra to support victims of the tsunami disaster in Asia and East Africa.

Koala Shopping Centre donated 200 pieces of blankets valued 64 million cedis and a cheque for 10 million cedis; TV3 gave 10 million cedis; CAL Bank and Ghana Pakistan Friendship Society donated five million cedis each.

Coca-Cola Company gave out 100 cartons of Dasani mineral water valued at six million cedis while Sheikh Quaye donated two million cedis.

Several organisations, including the Ghana News Agency, TV3 Network Limited, Metro TV and Koala Shopping Centre as well as businessmen and individuals have made commitment of support for the victims December 26 tsunami disaster.

More than 150,000 people have been reported dead while millions are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance like food, clothing and shelter.

Mr Safwan Wolley, Managing Director of Koala Shopping Centre, who the presentation on behalf of his Company, described the disaster as an unfortunate event that had rocked over 12 countries washed by the Indian Ocean.

Mr Wolley said his Shopping Centre was serving as a collection point for contributions, which would be transferred through the United Nations and Red Cross offices in Ghana and delivered to victims of the disaster.

According to him, a student, Imad Wolley, proposed the idea for donations to alleviate the suffering of the tsunami victims. Mr Alfred Salia Fawundu, United Nations Resident Coordinator, said the donation was a way of expressing solidarity with the victims of the tsunami disaster and commended residents in Ghana and Ghanaians.

Mr Fawundu said UN Food Programme and other stakeholders were striving to ensure that victims of the disaster got an initial aid. He called for more education on natural disasters in Ghana in order to curb them.

Sheikh Quaye expressed his sympathy to the families, who lost their relatives during the disaster.

He noted that the there was the need for all to prepare for such disasters saying, "science, after predicting an event, cannot prevent it".

The Minister urged Ghanaians to come out to support the tsunami victims through their contributions saying, "those who are dead are gone but those, who are bedridden deserve some support".