Aid agency kick starts flood appeal

World Vision New Zealand is committing $50,000 from funds raised by this year's 40 Hour Famine to the South Asia flood appeal, and a letter will go out to all New Zealand sponsors of Bangladeshi children by the end of the week, asking for extra funds for affected projects.

CEO Lisa Cescon says the World Vision partnership is hoping to raise US$1 million for the next three months of planned relief and rehabilitation programmes.

"Our offices in India, Bangladesh and Nepal have completed their initial assessments and have already been responding with initial relief supplies to many of these communities, and Governments in the three countries have been responding with the resources that they have," says Miss Cescon. "But our staff are most concerned about potential threats such as epidemics from water-borne diseases."

Miss Cescon says every year a small percentage of income raised by the 40 Hour Famine is put aside to help with sudden disasters. Just last month World Vision sent $35,000 to help with flood relief in Pakistan.

ENDS

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