Black Santa Appeal donates £6,000 for relief work in Nepal

Wednesday April 29th 2015

Devastation in Nepal.

Belfast Cathedral’s Black Santa Fund is making a donation of £6,000 for relief work following the devastating earthquake in Nepal.

£5,000 will be sent via Christian Aid, and the other £1,000 will be channelled through Habitat for Humanity NI, to help specifically with that organisation’s work on the ground in Nepal.

A spokesperson for Habitat for Humanity said: “We have been working in Nepal for 18 years and our colleagues there are part of the community, committed to serving families in desperate need of shelter. Our response includes distributing emergency shelter kits so families have protection from the elements as monsoon rains approach.”

Read more about Habitat for Humanity’s response to the earthquake in Nepal. You can also download the latest update from Christian Aid. Our photos are courtesy of Habitat for Humanity/ Ezra Millstein.

Latest figures (29 April) estimate the number of deaths as a result of the Napalese earthquake to be more than 5,000.

Announcing the grants, The Dean of Belfast, the Very Rev John Mann said: “This relatively small amount of money may seem like a drop in the ocean when we consider the scale of the natural disaster that is affecting this remote area that has many very inaccessible regions, and where resources are inadequate. However, it is symbolic of our concern, and reflects our prayers for all who have been affected in any way.”

Contributions to the annual Black Santa Sit–Out at Christmas on the steps of St Anne’s are collected throughout the year and so the Cathedral is in a position to respond to crisis situations such as that in Nepal.