emergency relief

Rescue South Africa (Rescue SA) is calling for South Africans to get involved in raising money for their mission in Japan with their ‘Give a Rand for Japan’ campaign. The campaign developed by Old Shanghai Firecracker Factory has set up a dedicated SMS line, developed an advertising campaing and viral campaign to help raise money for the organisation on their mission to Japan to assist with the disaster relief.

Samantha Botsis, spokesperson for Rescue SA says, “The agency Old Shanghai Firecracker Factory developed this campaign to raise the much needed money to aid us in our operation while our volunteers are in Japan. We are hoping to garner support of all South Africans and are giving them the opportunity to get involved in assisting the devastated nation. All it takes is a donation of a R5, the cost of the SMS.”

Rescue SA is a non-government organisation whose purpose is to provide disaster relief and response to rescue operations and mass casualty bit locally and internationally. They are South Africa’s International Disaster and Urban Search and Rescue Team and the official South African Disaster Response Team made up of volunteer emergency response specialists from the South African public and private sector emergency and ancillary services.

The 40-member Rescue SA team was drawn from emergency services across the country and includes 10 doctors and paramedics who left for Tokyo on 15 March 2011 with 15 tons of equipment, and 1200 litres of water, to join aid workers and rescue teams from around the world that have responded to the devastation caused by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Botsis continues, “We cannot thank the agency and the sponsors enough for their support if it wasn’t for campaigns like these we would not be able to deploy our volunteers for such noble causes. We firmly believe that this campaign is making it accessible for South Africans to truly make a difference in Japan at a time when it is needed most.”

“We are aiming at using the money raised for more equipment, better camping gear and additional resources towards our missions.” She adds, “We are hoping to dispatch warm clothing to our volunteers in Japan in the coming days as they are working in freezing conditions.”

“Sponsors who have made the campaign possible include; Manmade, Medhold, Manganese Metal Company, MTN, Altech Autopage, Honda Marine, Standard Bank and Netcare 911 but we are calling for additional support from South Africans who can donate money by sending an SMS, which could save someone’s life.”

“The disaster response team in Japan is keeping us continuously updated via Twitter (ResQSA) and Facebook,” says Botsis. “Since the campaign broke on the weekend we have seen an increase in followers and support for our cause as well as the private sector coming on board and donating a staggering R4.8 million.”

She adds, “You cannot begin to imagine the state of Japan after such devastation and the people of Japan need all the help they can get.”

Follow Rescue SA on Twitter: ResQSA, Join the Facebook group: Rescue SA and to donate SMS Japan to 36585 and Give a Rand for Japan (THE SMS YOU SEND TO 36585 IS CHARGED AT R5,00 - R1,25 OF THAT GOES TO MTN, R3,75 GOES TO RESCUE SA).

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Rescue South Africa (RSA) is an official South African Disaster Response Team made up of volunteer emergency response specialists from the South African public and private sector emergency and ancillary services.

For more about Rescue SA, refer to www.rescue-sa.co.za.

To view other NGO press releases, visit: www.ngopulse.org/group/home-page/pressreleases.