Another 600 tons for Somalia relief

South Africa’s Ubuntu Spirit knows no bounds. We are indeed making an emphatic continental statement that Africa is coming to the aid of Africans unreservedly. The power is not in the proclamation but in the execution: being the first African agency and the only agency in the world to fly 6 planes into Mogadishu in a two week period delivering 112 tons of aid, gave a very good feel being South African.

But what was to follow from South African society was something unprecedented in our history when our people poured their hearts out for the children of Africa (Somalia) contributing a whopping 560 tons of supplies in 5 days.

We thought we had seen everything; the ship departed on Wednesday, 17 August 2011, that was less than 48 hours ago and lo and behold we now have another 600 tons of supplies which South Africans rushed into our warehouses. We have arranged to ship out these supplies via a new route on Tuesday, 23 August 2011, via Mombassa to Mogadishu. South Africans are living attributes of compassion, mercy, kindness and humanity. The Almighty will bless this country and it’s people in a manner unimaginable.

SA leading by example

At a meeting on Wednesday, 17 August 2011, with the Ex-Ghanaian President Jerry Rawlings, who is the special envoy of the African Forum and the African Union to Somalia, he was visibly shocked at the massive response of South Africans to Somalia’s pain, and insisted that this response had to be emulated throughout the African continent to emphasize to the international community that Africa has awoken from it’s slumber and is now GIVING. The time for asking and begging is over.

We can and must do it ourselves

These items have also been requested by Gift Of The Givers:

• Food
• Tents
• Towels
• Select medicines
• Medical equipment
• Wheelchairs
• Toys and educational items for children
• Plasticware
• Pots

By Imtiaz Sooliman