Myanmar Floods: Singapore Red Cross Launches Public Fundraising Appeal

Singapore, 11 August 2015 – Singapore Red Cross (SRC) today launched a month-long appeal for funds to aid communities affected by the floods in Myanmar, following needs assessment from its advance team, which was on ground from 6 to 8 August. The Singapore Government has on 7 August pledged USD100,000 to kickstart the public appeal.

During the three-day mission, SRC’s advance team distributed relief items, including sandbags, rice grains, cooking oil and drinking water to affected communities in Nyuang Tone Township, Ayeryarwaddy Region, as well as temporary shelters in Tike Kyi Township, Yangon Region that also held patients from an affected hospital. Additionally, the team joined the Myanmar Red Cross on boat to evacuate villagers who were still stranded. Needs assessment from the team indicate that relief items such as hygiene packs, water and food in these shelters were in short supply due to the unforeseen influx of affected villagers.

“It is difficult to ascertain the exact number of people who are affected immediately, especially when many of the affected communities are in areas made inaccessible by the floods. What we can expect from the worsening flash flood situation is that the number of people affected will increase exponentially,” said Mr Benjamin William, Singapore Red Cross’ Secretary General/CEO, recounting the instance of a camp visited by the SRC advance team in Tike Kyi Township, which was providing refuge for 600 villagers when it had capacity for only 200.

SRC has plans to deploy medical relief to Myanmar in anticipation of the spike in medical needs of the local community.

“With villages inundated by flood waters, we foresee the need to provide medical attention as the incidence of waterborne diseases and medical conditions such as diarrhoea and fever are expected to rise.” added Mr William.

The public appeal is on the back of an initial disbursement of USD100,000 by SRC to Myanmar Red Cross on 4 August, for relief supplies such as food, medicine, blankets, clean drinking water and hygiene kits. The Myanmar Red Cross has been focusing its efforts in the regions of Sagaing, Rakhine, Chin and Magway.

To Donate

Walk-in cash donations

Please visit the Singapore Red Cross at Red Cross House, 15 Penang Lane, Singapore 238486, from 9am to 6pm on Mondays to Fridays.

Cheque

Please make your cheque payable to ‘Singapore Red Cross Society’. On the back of the cheque, kindly indicate ‘Myanmar Floods 2015’, donor’s name, contact number and address, and post it to the above address.

For enquiries, please call the Singapore Red Cross hotline at 6664 0500 from 9am to 6pm on Mondays to Fridays. You can also email us at enquiry@redcross.sg.

Singapore Red Cross efforts to date:

  • Contribution of USD100,000 worth of relief items
  • Launched a public appeal for the humanitarian relief efforts in Myanmar
  • Launched the Restoring Family Links (RFL) service to help Myanmarese in Singapore get back in touch with their loved ones who were affected by the disaster

DBS / POSB ATM

  1. Insert your ATM card and select “English” and enter PIN when prompted
  2. Select “More Services”
  3. Select “Credit Card/Bill Payment”
  4. Select “Myanmar Floods 2015 Relief Fund” from the billing corporation list
  5. Enter telephone number as the Bill Reference Number
  6. Select account type (e.g. Autosave, Current or Savings Account) and enter donation amount
  7. At the confirmation screen, press “Confirm” to complete transaction

DBS PayLah!

  1. Login to DBS PayLah!
  2. Select “Send” > “Donation”
  3. Select “Myanmar Floods 2015 Relief Fund” from the charity organisation list
  4. Enter donation amount
  5. Click on “Donate Now”
  6. Select the tick to complete the transaction

DBS Internet Banking

  1. Login to DBS iBanking
  2. Pay > Pay Bills
  3. Login with iB Secure Device
  4. Under Select Payment Option, select “Billing Organisation not in my pre-arranged list”
  5. Type in Myanmar Floods 2015 Relief Fund
  6. Enter telephone number as the Bill Reference Number
  7. Select account type (e.g. Autosave, Current or Savings Account) and enter donation amount
  8. At the confirmation screen, press “Confirm” to complete transaction

DBS Mobile Banking

  1. Login to DBS mBanking
  2. Click on “Payment” > “Bill Payment” > “One Time Bill Payment”
  3. Select “Myanmar Floods 2015 Relief Fund” from the billing corporation list
  4. Select the deposit account to debit donation
  5. Enter telephone number as the Consumer Reference Number and donation amount
  6. Click on “Next”
  7. At the confirmation screen, click on “Confirm” to complete the transaction

Notes:

  • Donations to overseas efforts are not tax-deductible.
  • In the event that donations exceed the expenses incurred by Singapore Red Cross in this specific disaster response, any surplus or unspent money, after 3 years from the date of inception of the fund, can be used to prepare for and serve communities affected by other disasters or may be used to complement or to sustain projects undertaken by SRC in helping the vulnerable in areas affected by disasters.

For our advisory to donors, please click here.