GSK has announced it will be providing a monetary donation of £50,000 (approximately NZ$100,000) to international children’s charity Save the Children following the trail of destruction left by Cyclone Pam. The tropical cyclone is one of the worse natural disasters to hit the Pacific Islands states. The category five cyclone struck the island nation late on Friday 13 March 2015. The devastating cyclone has so far claimed 24 lives and severely damaged up to 90% of buildings on Efate, Vanuatu’s main island.
The General Manager for GSK New Zealand commented: “As one of our closest neighbours it is difficult to see such devastation. We are proud to support and organisation like Save the Children in their efforts to deliver emergency relief to those impacted.”
Responding to news of the donation Heather Hayden, CEO of Save the Children New Zealand said, “Our heartfelt thanks to GSK for this generous donation. It will go a long way to helping meet the basic needs of people in Vanuatu – the water, food, clothing and medical supplies they so desperately need.”
As the devastation across the South Pacific becomes more apparent it is clear the road to recovery will be long. “This is just the start of a much larger and broader humanitarian relief operation. We’re going to do everything we can to reach as many people as possible with the aid they need to survive,” says Tom Skirrow, Save the Children’s Vanuatu Country Director.
GSK will continue to work with Save the Children and its other humanitarian relief partners to support relief efforts where possible.
Anyone who would like to support Save the Children’s relief efforts can do so by donating to the organisation’s Cyclone Pam Appeal – savethechildren.org.nz or 0800 167 168
