Hyundai Automotive South Africa and Hyundai Motor Company of South Korea have donated R1,5 million towards relief efforts for residents of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) who were severely affected by the recent floods in the province.
The donation in the form of a cheque was handed to the Gift of the Givers Foundation today, 26 April 2022, at the Hyundai Umhlanga dealership.
The non profit organisation Gift of Givers, who are at the forefront of helping the people of KZN, were handed R1,5 million by the Motus Corporation, the holding company of Hyundai Automotive SA. Summing up the donation to R3 million.
The donated money is meant to go towards acquiring material to help flood victims rebuild their homes that were damaged by the floods.
CEO of Hyundai Automotive SA, Niall Lynch said, the losses and sufferings due to floods in KZN are of a scale unseen in recent times in South Africa.
“There was no doubt in our minds that we had to contribute to the relief effort in the province by this donation to Gift of the Givers, which has vast experience and many successes in relief and rebuilding operations of this kind,” he added.
Founder and Head of the Gift of the Givers Foundation, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman said: “At the onset of Covid-19, we had to increase our vehicle fleet to meet the ever-demanding requests from 210 hospitals nationwide and to deploy mobile Covid-19 testing teams. Hyundai and Motus responded rapidly with the donation of three vehicles.”
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has also pleaded to help the victims. Launching an eight million Swiss franc emergency appeal to support the South African Red Cross Society (SARCS) to expand the scope of their assistance as humanitarian needs continue to outpace available resources.
Ruth van Rooyen, Senior Disaster Management Officer, IFRC Country Cluster Delegation for Southern Africa said the communities affected by the floods were already vulnerable due to the recent civil unrest and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, which had left many households without a source of income.
“Just as they were trying to rebuild, another disaster hit. Humanitarian aid is stretched, and partnerships are greatly needed as we support communities in their rebuilding process. This appeal aims to help communities build back better and regain the hope lost as they watched their lives washed away by the torrents of water,” added van Rooyen.
Hot meals, psychosocial support, and the protection of family links to affected individuals are being provided to the victims.
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