This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Tsunami relief effort praised
11/01/2005
The unstinting efforts of all those involved in the work
to help the victims of the Tsunami after the Indian Ocean
earthquake were praised today.
During a visit to Save the Children in Edinburgh,
Patricia Ferguson, who has responsibility for co-ordinating
the Executive's work with overseas aid organisations, said
she was proud of the Scottish public's response to the
disaster and of the work being done by so many people both
here and abroad to help the victims.
And she pledged continued support from the Executive
which has seconded its own staff to the relief effort.
The Minister said:
"We have all been deeply shocked by the horrific events
that have unfolded in south-east Asia over the past two
weeks, claiming the lives of so many and causing ongoing
suffering for so many more.
"Yet we have also witnessed an unprecedented response
from the public, including here in Scotland where people
raised £3.5 million in just 48 hours and continue to give.
This magnificent response reinforces Scotland's reputation
as a generous and giving nation.
"Others have also given their time as well as their
money. Today I met volunteers working at a Save the
Children charity shop in Edinburgh to raise funds - a vital
contribution which is being replicated the length and
breadth of the country.
"Save the Children is just one of many aid organisations
working tirelessly in Scotland to help the international
relief effort and I was glad to have the opportunity to be
updated on their work today through the Network of
International Development Organisations in Scotland (NIDOS)
and the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) in
Scotland.
"The ongoing work of their staff and volunteers,
together with the generous contributions from the public,
will ensure aid continues to reach those most in need of
our help.
"I am pleased that the Scottish Executive has been able
to contribute in this regard by sending staff out on
secondment. We currently have eleven members of staff
working at Mercy Corps, the Red Cross and the Scottish
Catholic International Aid Fund in Edinburgh and one member
of staff, Dhana Wadugodapitiya, in Sri Lanka at this
moment.
"Dhana, who has family in Sri Lanka, is assisting with
the aid effort by taking on administrative duties in
Colombo to free up local staff to work on the ground."