Sir, – I would like to echo the words of gratitude of the mayor of Concepcion Milliard Villanueva (November 10th) offered to the Irish people for their generous response to Typhoon Haiyan. This terrible natural disaster once again demonstrated the tremendous capacity of Irish people to empathise with children in times of crisis. Irish people were again amongst the most generous per capita donors in the world.
In the days after the typhoon, I flew to Tacloban City to oversee Unicef’s emergency response. It is hard to convey the scenes of devastation I witnessed. Typhoon Haiyan destroyed up to 90 per cent of the hospitals, schools and homes in its path. My most abiding memory is the stench of death in the air. The tragic consequences of this violent natural disaster will haunt me for a lifetime.
In the immediate aftermath of the typhoon, Unicef initiated its highest level of emergency response, mobilising our global resources and personnel to the region. Thanks to the generosity of our loyal supporters around the country, we raised €1.2 million to meet the immediate, life-saving needs of children. In the past year, 1.3 million children have been vaccinated, 1.3 million people have access to safe drinking water and almost 625,000 children received education materials.
Without the generosity of our Irish supporters, this work would not be possible. – Yours, etc,
PETER POWER,
Executive Director,
Unicef Ireland,
33 Lower Ormond Quay,
Dublin 1.