Reepham & District Rotary Club is appealing for donations to help victims of last month’s Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.
The storm, which hit on 8 November, killed at least 3,900 people, left more than half a million homeless and affected around 11 million people in total, according to United Nations estimates. It was one of the most powerful storms ever recorded on land, with winds exceeding 200 mph, unleashing massive waves.
To help in the relief efforts in Philippines, the local Rotary club has already sent a cheque for £1,570 to fund 11 Aquaboxes and a community filter.
The Aquabox Gold is filled with new, specially purchased humanitarian goods and includes an AquaFilter Community filter
The Aquabox Gold is filled with 25 kg of new, specially purchased humanitarian aid goods to meet the basic needs of victims of natural (and man-made) disasters. When combined with a water purification unit, the emptied Aquabox is capable of producing 18,000 litres of safe, clean, drinkable water – enough for a family of six for more than 18 months.
The AquaFilter Community filter can generate up to 500,000 litres of drinking water from local contaminated water sources, which is enough for 100 families of six (600 people) for more than 18 months.
Through its fundraising efforts, which includes a 100 Club, Reepham & District Rotary Club has supplied (and in the past filled) more than 370 Aquaboxes for disaster relief worldwide since the club's foundation 24 years ago, said spokesperson Paul Smith. Each Aquabox Gold costs £120, while a community filter costs £250.
As well as sending its own funds, Reepham Rotary has set up an appeal for anyone in the Reepham district to send money to the Disasters Emergency Committee for use in the Philippines.
To donate, just go to www.justgiving.com/reephamrotary, or text RROT98 and an amount between £1 and £10 to 70070. Please give generously; support will be needed for a long time.
The Aquabox project is managed by the Rotary Club of Wirksworth in Derbyshire. For further information, please visit www.aquabox.org