Second tranche of aid to address urgent water, sanitation and hygiene needs in flooded communities in Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam

Singapore, 20 November 2020 - In response to the barrage of destructive typhoons that have swept across Southeast Asia over the past weeks, the Singapore Red Cross (SRC) will contribute an additional USD200,000 to support affected communities in Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam. The aid will be channeled towards WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) supplies, such as water filtration systems, water tanks, sanitation systems, hygiene kits for displaced and vulnerable persons. 

This comes on the back of SRC’s earlier contributions of SGD50,000 to support Super Typhoon Goni disaster relief efforts by the Philippine Red Cross; and USD75,000 (USD$25,000 respectively) for disaster relief by Cambodian Red Cross, Lao Red Cross and Viet Nam Red Cross. This first tranche of aid, which was disbursed to the respective National Societies within 48 hours of the disasters, supported the initial relief efforts in the immediate aftermath.

Mr Benjamin William, Secretary General and CEO of Singapore Red Cross, said, “The string of disasters have already claimed hundreds of lives, with the ongoing pandemic putting a further strain on funding and disaster response. Notwithstanding rescue and rebuilding work, relief workers now face additional challenges with the potential spread of waterborne diseases, due to poor sanitation, as well as insufficient food and clean water. WASH interventions are critical during this period. There is clear evidence that it is a much needed factor to achieve better health outcomes following an emergency. It will also help reduce the rate of transmission of COVID-19.”

He added, “Our Red Cross Red Crescent counterparts on the ground have also reflected the urgent needs in water and hygiene assistance and we are doing all we can to support their immediate needs. With such a  large scale disaster across multiple countries, the amount of assistance needed to respond to, and then to rebuild and rehabilitate the affected communities will be massive. SRC will continue to monitor the situation and we stand ready to assist further, if necessary.”

A public fundraising appeal, launched by SRC earlier this month, is currently ongoing. In response to the appeal, the Singapore Government had contributed US$200,000 as seed money in support of the Society’s relief efforts.

SRC has also activated its “Restoring Family Links” (RFL) service to assist Singaporeans and others to locate their immediate family members who may have been affected by the disaster with whom they have difficulty in contacting. For assistance, please contact SRC.