August 31, 2017
The Chinese Red Cross Society, through the Chinese Embassy in Freetown has on Tuesday, 29th August, 2017, donated USD$ 100,000 as a way of support to the August 14th mudslide and flood victims in Freetown.
Presenting the message on behalf of the Chinese Red Cross Society to the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society at their Liverpool Street office in Freetown, the Chinese Ambassador to Sierra Leone, His Excellence WU Peng, expressed his personal condolences to the government and people of Sierra Leone, who lost their loved ones in the tragic event.
Ambassador WU Peng noted that the Chinese government had already released $ 1 million emergency relief fund to Sierra Leone government to help support the affected people and that the Chinese community including Chinese companies in the country have also given similar support to the government.
He described Sierra Leoneans as friendly and resilient people who he believed would be able to overcome the difficulties and effect of the disaster. He said in China, Red Cross Society is a very important organization in terms of rendering services during such difficult situations. Therefore, he expressed the Embassy’s willingness to establish a very good working relationship with Sierra Leone Red Cross Society in future.
Receiving the officials from the Chinese Embassy, Director of Strategic Partnership, International Relations and Programme Support, Mrs. Augusta Foday-Kalone, on behalf of the Secretary General, thanked the Chinese Red Cross Society and the Ambassador for the donation and assured that the fund will reach the intended beneficiaries. Mrs. Kalone introduced members of staff of Sierra Leone Red Cross Society to Ambassador WU Peng and briefed him on the activities of the Society since the mudslide and flooding. Mrs. Kalone told Ambassador WU that the victims were still housed in temporary shelters and that the government was working on erecting permanent structures for the affected people outside of Freetown.