Running to help rebuild Samoa
It seemed like a good dose of providence when I heard on Friday that Habitat for Humanity NZ is getting stuck in with the mammoth task of rebuilding homes lost and damaged in the tsunami that hit Samoa:
From their press release:
Project Samoa Hope – Habitat for Humanity New Zealand responds to disaster
Habitat for Humanity New Zealand has announced today that it is responding to the Samoan Tsunami Disaster.
Habitat is sending a disaster relief expert with significant experience from the South Asia tsunami to Samoa to quickly assess the need for both emergency and long term shelter, and link with local agencies as they plan for the ongoing rebuilding work. Habitat has considerable experience in rebuilding tens of thousands of homes after the South Asia tsunami of December 2004.
An appeal has been launched for funds to help with both emergency shelter provision and the rebuilding of homes.
Habitat is also seeking expressions of interest from volunteer builders and trade persons who are able to go to Samoa and help with the cleanup and rebuilding. These can be sent to information@habitat.org.nz. Dates cannot be finalised until assessment of need and conditions is completed in Samoa, but Habitat will keep all interested parties informed of progress so that Kiwi teams can go to Samoa when the timing is right.
Habitat’s NZ Chief Executive, Pete North, says that this disaster has touched many families here in New Zealand as well as Samoa and Habitat New Zealand will lead the Habitat response in the reconstruction process.
Help today by making a donation to the Samoan Tsunami Disaster Appeal
You see, for the past 4-5 months I’ve been ekeing precious time out to pound the pavement and train up for the Auckland Marathon. To be honest, when I chose Habitat as the fundraising charity I didn’t imagine that the hard work of sponsors and supporters of my first full marathon would be used in such a way.
So it’s been with a real sense of purpose that I’ve been clocking up the training miles. Even just today while on my 24 km long run, I got a good three hours of solitude to ponder about many things, including the tragedy that hundreds of families in the Samoan community are dealing with right now.
For those interested in the stats, here’s my current training record. I’m glad that the money raised so far will directly benefit lives in Samoa. So if you see me out on the roads running my best, remember that you can help contribute towards my chosen charity by making a donation – either on my fundraising page (http://www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/williamchong), or directly through Habitat for Humanity’s tsunami appeal.
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