Mercy Relief, Singapore’s leading independent disaster relief agency has been working closely with partners on the ground to distribute emergency supplies to families affected by the South Asia Floods. Operations are taking place in Bangladesh, India and Nepal, and the team is expected to reach more than 1,000 households during its initial response. Those deployed saw the devastation first hand and have accessed that food shortages, limited access to clean water and water-borne illnesses will be key concerns in the following weeks.
Landslides en route to the Rautahat district plagued Mercy Relief’s aid operation in Nepal. However, the team managed to overcome these initial setbacks, delivering hygiene kits and food items to 270 households.
In the Dinajpur district of Bangladesh, Mercy Relief worked through the night despite power outages to secure and prepare supplies for the relief distribution operation. Through the distribution, which included rice, the team reached 350 households. Supplies of rice have been in demand after 600,000 hectares of farmland were destroyed by the floods. Many villagers rely on their rice harvests to sustain their livelihood but due to the damaged land, they will need to obtain new seedlings and plant their fields from scratch.
As an extension of the team’s relief distribution operations in the Katihar district of India, members introduced the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme to nearly 80 affected households. During the programme, survivors learnt how to purify water, utilise the hygiene kits and practice proper handwashing techniques to reduce the spread of illness. WASH is important in the aftermath of disaster and the need for clean water spans across all three countries.
The efforts abroad could not occur without the public support back home in Singapore.
For Mercy Relief’s fundraising efforts for South Asia, it is proud to announce its partnership with luxury retailer, Club 21. The inaugural partnership will see Mercy Relief’s donation tins for the South Asia Floods 2017 placed at all 59 of Club 21 retail stores islandwide to encourage donation and educate the public on Singapore’s contribution to humanitarian aid across the region.
Club 21’s General Manager Yip Tien Tien said, “Given the magnitude of the disaster, we wanted to play our part to raise funds for and awareness of the ongoing relief efforts in all three countries. With the Mercy Relief donation tins at all Club 21 stores islandwide, this will hopefully highlight the difficulties faced by disaster survivors during the recovery process and encourage everyone to band together to do what they can to help.”
Mercy Relief’s Executive Director Zhang Tingjun said, “We are grateful that Club 21 has come on board to support the relief efforts in South Asia. With the unprecedented destruction witnessed across all three countries, and millions of people affected by the flooding, the recovery process is going to require more time than usual. To be able to receive the help from such a well-known brand certainly brings a lot of encouragement. We hope that this will propel the start of more partnerships to come.”
In addition to Club 21 retail stores, members of the public who wish to donate to the South Asia Flood Relief efforts may also visit the Mercy Relief Facebook page and website for the latest updates.
About Club 21
Club 21 is a luxury fashion retail company operating in 10 countries across Asia. Established in 1972, Club 21 is responsible for building markets for some of the world’s most recognisable fashion brands to Asia through over 400 multi-label fashion stores, licensed brand boutiques, store-in-store concepts in Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, China, Japan and Korea, as well as its online store, Club21global.com.
Blending an appreciation for the trajectory of global fashion with deep understanding of specific markets, Club 21 manages over 200 designer brands. These include CK Calvin Klein label, Giorgio Armani, A|X Armani Exchange, Lanvin, Marni, Mulberry, Paul Smith, Proenza Schouler, ISSEY MIYAKE, Jil Sander and Dries Van Noten. In partnership with Calvin Klein and Neil Barrett, Club 21 also developed the CK Calvin Klein label and Blackbarrett brands and fully manages these businesses under license, from concept to customer. Club 21’s coordinated country offices develop strategies most suitable to their customers and context, while supported by Club 21’s integrated services that include seamless customer relationship management across geographies.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Nigel Low
Black Dot
+65 9837 4256
nigel@blackdot.sg
Jolyn Mo
Black Dot
+65 9048 3582
jolyn@blackdot.sg
Joanne Koh
Club 21
+65 6304 1418
joanne.ctkoh@club21global.com
