Incredible solidarity from Switzerland
It was with great joy that I was able to receive two containers filled to the brim with relief supplies for the hurricane victims in January. When we opened the container doors, I was speechless. It also made me a little proud to see the incredible solidarity in my home country.
After the events in November, volunteers all over Switzerland started to set up and coordinate the donation. In Cunter it was Daniela Steier and Frodo, in Surselva Claudia Flury, in St. Gallen Désirée Ammann, in Bern Fabienne Lüthi, in Zurich Claudia Schibler and in Bäch Helmut Zurbuchen. With the support of numerous volunteers, they were able to receive mattresses as well as bags and banana boxes full of useful items and pre-sort them for me according to a uniform scheme.
In total, more than 150 mattresses and 1,200 banana boxes with clothes, shoes, bed linen, bath towels, pampers, baby powder milk, shower gels, shampoos and soft toys were collected. Now the big sorting work began for us to prepare the distribution.
Thanks to the support of friends from the most affected areas, we were able to do a survey about circumstances the people are living in. The families had to indicate how many people live in the same household, what their clothes and shoe size is and what kind of sleeping facilities they have now. It turned out that only 15% of the people surveyed sleep in a bed. 85% sleep on the floor, on a cardboard box or on a straw mat. A few sleep in a hammock.
In total we were able to prepare 585 bags consisting of 2 bath towels, 2 bedsheets, 2 duvets, 2 kitchen towels. This was the easy part. Then we sorted the clothes for women, men, children and babies. Then the shoes were sorted according to their sizes. With the help of the family list from the survey, everything was packed.
The preparations and sorting took three weeks. Everyone, from the youngest to the oldest, helped. In the fourth week, we were able to hand over this great donation to the families most affected.
People were speechless when they saw the big packages. And even more speechless when they saw the beautiful clothes and branded items in the parcels. Many cried out of joy and their eyes shone for the first time in almost three months....
I had the privilege of handing over all the parcels personally and can only say this was an incredible experience in all aspects. On the one hand, the environments, which are still full of mud and utter destruction. On the other hand, the motivation of the people to go back to their homes and the joy of the donation. Not a single person complained, although they would have had thousands of reasons. Every single person has thanked us and wished us God's blessings.
With this fundraiser and the goods collected, you proved to us that you all give from your heart. We saw your generosity in every box we opened and were deeply touched by your willingness to help. Be it how beautifully you packed everything and what you packed. And above all: with how much charity you did it all.
On behalf of all those Hondurans whom you have helped in need, I thank you for your overwhelming solidarity.
Thank you very much!
And that is not all. At the end of February, we are expecting the third container with more relief supplies...