Bahrain to supply 45 tonnes of aid to Nepal

Manama, Apr. 29 (BNA): Bahrain aid to the quake-affected nation of Nepal will be 45 tonnes of medicines, food items and emergency items, including water purifiers and tents, said Dr Mustafa Al Sayed, Secretary General of the Royal Charity Organisation (RCO). He told Bahrain News Agency (BNA) that the consignment is expected to be airlifted from Bahrain on May 4. “The task of collecting the aid and ensuring that it reaches Nepal is assigned to a new committee – the RCO Bahrain Nepal Support Committee. The committee comes into effect following the directives of His Majesty the King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the leadership of His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Royal Charity Organisation. The committee is headed by Dr Mustafa Al Sayed. Members of the committee include the Embassy of Nepal in Bahrain, Indian Ladies Association, The Keraleeya Samajam, LuLu Hypermarket ( represented by Juzer Rupawala its Regional Director), Representatives of the Ministry of Health and the Bahrain Red Crescent. “The raison d’etre of this new committee is to provide all the necessary aid in this critical hour of need. Bahrain sympathises and empathises with the people of that nation, who have been left homeless and bereave the loss of their near and dear ones,” said Dr Mustafa. The situation in Nepal calls for utmost humane considerations, what with entire villages razed leaving no trace at all. The committee has decided to collect flour, Dairy products – including milk powder and children’s milk powder, cereals, medicines and medical kit as requested by the Red Crescent. In addition to the supplies being collected, residents of the Kingdom of Bahrain can also make donations at approved areas, which will be notified soon, he added. The airlifted consignment will be handed over to the United Nations Development Programme resident coordinator in Nepal, he said. The RCO, mandated to collect the aid, has formed the committee and gets into action less than 24 hours after the directives of His Majesty the King, said the head of the committee. He thanked the initiatives of His Majesty the King and His Highness Shaikh Nasser, the Ministry of Health and other organizations that help contribute to this consignment. “We are amazed at the support and sympathy of the citizens and residents, especially the Indian community. The community has reached out in a major way, he added. The Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam has agreed to be the venue for a candlelight vigil tomorrow, said Dr Mustafa. Later in the evening the Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of Nepal in Bahrain, Mani Prasad Bhattarai, told the BNA that he had conveyed to the committee the requirements for Nepal. “These include sanitary napkins, tents of all sizes (small, medium and large), water purifiers and other foodstuff. In medical aid, Nepal needs fully equipped ortho-surgeons, general surgeons, neuro-surgeons, paramedics and anaesthetists and ancillary staff. They must be equipped to perform surgery,” he said. The envoy said the RCO was opening bank accounts for collecting and dispatching financial aid to Nepal. “When the donor country is willing to take on the task, it is best to allow them. Thus we have decided not to open any account on behalf of the embassy towards this need,” Bhattarai said. Varghese Karakkal, President of the Keraleeya Samajam, told the BNA that the Samajam was in the process of collecting materials for the aid project. “We had a meeting with the volunteers and advised them to mobilize as much material as is possible towards this critical need. For those who plan to contribute financially, we plan to have it deposited in the bank accounts of the RCO, so that everything in transparent,” he added. A collection box to raise donations would also be placed by the Royal Charity Organisation, at the candle light vigil, he said. Nivedita, President of the Indian Ladies Association, told the news agency that the ladies were tasked with raising financial resources. “The committee has asked us to help with fund-raising. The funds will be deposited into the bank accounts provided by the RCO,” she said.