Renewed appeal for Rwanda aid
HONG KONG fund-raisers for Rwandan refugees have issued a renewed appeal for help.
The Hong Kong Joint Appeal for Rwanda, launched on July 25 on behalf of Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), the Red Cross and Oxfam, has reached $13.8 million.
The three agencies fear the refugee crisis could take a turn for the worse, with reports that people are fleeing the French-protected zone in Rwanda.
MSF teams have reported that 25,000 people are moving every day towards the border despite the onset of the rainy season.
''People are very determined to move on,'' a spokesman for the three agencies said.
''We are collecting dozens of abandoned children who were too weak to continue. Mothers have to sacrifice one child to keep walking and hope to save the rest of their families,'' said a spokesman for the Hong Kong Joint Appeal.
''We need to be prepared but resources are already stretched and the crisis is not over yet.
''In spite of the positive contribution from the Hong Kong public, support for the Joint Appeal is still urgently needed,'' the spokesman said.
The Hong Kong Baptist Hospital will present a cheque for $250,000 for Rwandan relief to the Red Cross tomorrow. The money was donated by staff, doctors, visitors and the hospital itself.
