Sending Out An SOS

Transat has donated close to $33,000 raised during its most recent twitter auction to SOS Children’s Villages in order to help victims of the Nepal earthquake.

With latest reports indicating that more than 5,000 are dead (a figure that is still rising), thousands are homeless and hundreds of children are orphaned, Transat and SOS Children’s Villages agreed to donate the entire auction proceeds to the SOS Children’s Villages emergency relief effort in Nepal.

The money will be used to provide immediate relief to local communities, with SOS Children’s Villages representatives acting on two main fronts – helping unaccompanied children who have been separated from their families, and offering child-friendly spaces.

Boyd McBride, president and CEO, SOS Children’s Villages Canada, commented: “SOS has been in Nepal for more than 40 years. We don’t want to see any child alone in Nepal as a result of this tragedy. Over the short term, we will be working to help children find their families, identifying them and registering them with state authorities, and caring for them. And by providing child-friendly spaces, we’ll ensure they receive basic necessities like clothing, food and healthcare, allowing parents to focus on the coming task of rebuilding, knowing that their children are kept safe.”

The Nepalese economy is strongly dependent on tourism, especially trekking and climbing in the Himalayas.

Annick Guerard, general manager, Transat Tours Canada, said that: “It was natural that we should respond swiftly in the aftermath of this immense tragedy. So we decided to answer the call of our partner, SOS Children’s Villages Canada, which wanted to focus efforts on providing assistance to this severely affected region, where the needs are enormous.”

To support their efforts, go to http://www.soschildrensvillages.ca/nepal-earthquake-emergency-response .

Photos taken by SOS Children’s Villages and provided to Press Today courtesy of Transat.