Individual national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies attending the International Red Cross Red Crescent Conference in Sydney for November 11-15 which was the first ever in Australia, had pledged substantial amount of assistance to victims of super Typhoon Haiyan ( Philippine area name – Yolanda) in Visayas region.
The Red Crosss society of England pledged three million pounds to be matched further by Queen Elizabeth’s personal donation.
Head of Philippine delegation Ms Corazon Alma G. de Leon, revealed that she received responses from various national delegations to the International Red Cross Red Crescent Conference held at the Sydney International Convention Centre at Darling Harbour, Sydney last Monday 11 November, just three days after the super typhoon Haiyan ravaged the Visayas in the Philippines.
Among the country delegates who joined Ms de Leon in our Bayanihan News headline photo are: Dr Fawzi Abdullah Ameen (Bahrain), Sam Kosal (Cambodia), Men Nearysopheak (Cambodia), Prebeen Saegard Hansen (Denmark) and Ambassador Godfrey Simasiku (Zambia)
Latest actual body count of the dead placed the figure are 2,835 with the monitoring still going on more corpses are found. Philippine Red Cross Chair Mr Richard Gordon who originally heads the Philippine delegations decided to remain in the Philippines in the light of Typhoon Haiyan.
Ms Corazon de Leon who is presently the secretary of the board of governors of the Philippine Red Cross received pledges from various national Red Cross Red Crescent societies after her report on the Philippine situation.
Other societies who pledged during the international conference were:
Macau – $32,000
Qatar – 2 million riyal
Vietnam – $10,000
Turkey – shipload of blankets
China – $400,000
Luxembourg – initial 150,000 Euro
Cambodia – $30,000
Bahrain – Asked for priority items needed, and will commit
Indonesia – one container full of bagged rice
Norway – priority goods
Canada – Water and hospital equipment