The Mayor of Donegal, Councillor Terence Slowey and the elected members of Donegal Municipal District were on hand in the Diamond in Donegal Town on Monday evening to welcome well known championship rally driver Ronnie Foreman and his team to the town and to show Donegal’s support for his ‘Rally for Haiti’.
Ronnie is doing the Rally for Haiti this week in a bid to raise awareness and funds for the people of Haiti in the aftermath of last October’s Hurricane Matthew.
Hurrican Matthew was the most powerful hurricane to strike Haiti in over fifty years bringing 230km/h winds and torrential rain. It devastated what already stood as one of the poorest countries in the world.
More than 1.4 million people were left in urgent need of humanitarian aid. Families, particularly children, found themselves exposed to cholera and other life threatening diseases as unprecedented flooding brought severe water contamination.
With between 80% and 100% of crops in south Haiti were destroyed and many communities experienced chronic food shortages, posing the serious threat of hunger and malnutrition.
Ronnie Foreman is a Northern Ireland Ambassador for Haven which is an Irish non-governmental organisation strongly committed to empowering the people of Haiti to build strong, sustainable livelihoods and communities. It focuses on three core areas: water and sanitation, training and education, and shelter.
Cathaoirleach Cllr. Slowey was delighted to be in a position to make a small donation to the Rally for Haiti fund on behalf of Donegal County Council and said “the Rally for Haiti marks the six-month anniversary of Hurricane Matthew and every cent raised will help families in Haiti to restore their livelihoods, rebuild their homes and look to the future”.
“I can only commend Ronnie and his team not only for their fundraising efforts but also for their commitment to sharing the story of the suffering being experienced by the people of Haiti and for raising the profile of their plight. We wish the Rally for Haiti every success and hope that everyone around the country will come out and support this worthy cause”.
The Rally for Haiti left Lisburn on Monday and made its way to Derry and on to Donegal on Monday afternoon and has since travelled to Sligo, Galway and Limerick. The team are expected in Cork today (Wednesday) and will continue to Kilkenny and on to Swords and Dublin City on Thursday and will complete the final stage of their rally when they return to Belfast on Friday.