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BBC News
4 days ago
- Lifestyle
- BBC News
Berkshire family climbs world peaks for Nepalese children
Two parents and their 10 and 12-year-old sons are climbing to the world's 14 highest mountain base camps to raise money for Nepalese and Martha, from Bracknell in Berkshire, and their boys Benjamin and William, are raising money for the Nimsdai Foundation, which supports education in remote arrived at the halfway point of their challenge by reaching Everest's base camp in Nepal, more than 5,000m above sea said climbing Everest had been a "phenomenal" experience. He said the family were currently embarking on a five-year challenge, which will see them trek an estimated 1,100km with their challenge will see them try to reach the 14 base camps of each 8,000m mountain. John said Everest was had "amazing views... stunning people and culture"."It was really good fun, but hard work, really very hard work," he said."We went with our two young boys and the four of us managed to reach top of Everest base camp as part of our 14 peak challenge, which has been really good." He said they were "not worried" about taking their young sons on the challenge because they had done "a lot of research"."Our boys are very resilient, and they had done a lot of treks before, we've been hiking for a long time as a family," he said."Last year we were up in the Karakoram hiking toward K2 mountain, and we went to K2 base camp and the other five base camps in Pakistan as well."So, the boys are fully used to having to these high altitudes, long treks, long days in the mountains and cold weather." John is a secondary school teacher and Martha is a primary school teacher, both working in couple said education was very important to both of them and in Nepal schooling was "pretty bad, because it is so remote in some villages".Ms Russell-Smith said: "We're trying to complete our challenge to try and create scholarships for some of the children."She said they visited KhumJung, a secondary school in a small village not far from Everest base said: "It was quite shocking to see, they are still lacking resources, the children are still struggling to gain an education." "We were shocked by the size of the classroom, we have 30 kids in our classroom back home, they have up to 45 in a classroom and the room was half the size," John said."They are more like tin sheds, with tin roofs and wood panel sides which is very cold."The teacher we met there said the children 'snuggle up together in their seats to try and stay warm' because it can be very cold in winter which was having a difficult way to learn."It is it really opens your eyes to the difficulties for education in remote locations." You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
CNA
24-04-2025
- General
- CNA
Singapore Red Cross to send another S$600,000 in aid to Myanmar in wake of deadly quake
Singapore The organisation's latest tranche of support will also include 810 tents to Gaza and S$600,000 to Syria. SINGAPORE: The Singapore Red Cross (SRC) will send additional tranches of humanitarian aid in response to escalating needs in Myanmar, Gaza and Syria. It signed humanitarian partnership agreements on Thursday (Apr 24) with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) to coordinate efforts for the humanitarian crises. SRC's latest response will include a further S$600,000 (US$458,000) in humanitarian aid to Myanmar, about 810 tents for displaced communities in Gaza and an additional S$600,000 in humanitarian assistance to Syria. People drive past a collapsed building on Mar 30, 2025 in the aftermath of a strong earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar. (Photo: REUTERS/Stringer) Nearly a month after the devastating 7.7-magnitude Myanmar earthquake that killed over 3,500 people, needs for shelter, safe water, food, healthcare and sanitation remain critical, said SRC. On top of an ongoing civil war, Myanmar has experienced an unprecedented heatwave with temperatures reaching up to 40 degrees Celsius. The country is also gearing up for the monsoon season in June, which will likely see flooding and a rise in waterborne diseases. The upcoming tranche of aid will therefore focus on monsoon and heat preparedness. The SRC will also supply items such as shelter kits, solar generators and medicine. It will deploy a water sanitation and hygiene team to install and maintain water filters. The latest effort is on top of the S$550,000 worth of humanitarian aid sent in early April and a previous contribution of S$150,000 that was sent to address immediate needs in the aftermath of the disaster. Secretary General and CEO of SRC, Mr Benjamin William, said that the road ahead in Myanmar will be 'long and complex'. 'The relief effort will not end soon. It will take months, even a couple of years, before all the communities are reached and the basic needs met,' he said. A Palestinian woman holds a child, as Palestinians inspect the damage at a school sheltering displaced people, following an Israeli strike, in Gaza City, Apr 23, 2025. (Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas) To support the communities in Gaza, an SRC operations coordinator is in Cairo to work with the Egyptian Red Crescent Society to coordinate the Singapore organisation's ongoing humanitarian support. In its latest tranche of support, the SRC procured 800 small tents and 10 big tents for displaced communities. The small tents can house up to 6,400 people, while the big ones can accommodate larger families, serve as prayer areas and aid distribution points. 'The amount that we can contribute is still minuscule compared to the needs on the ground, but we have to do what we can,' said Mr William. In May last year, the Singapore Red Cross deployed eight civilian volunteers to support its relief operations in Gaza. The team of eight civilian volunteers deployed to assist Singapore Red Cross (SRC) in its ongoing Gaza relief operations. Another operations coordinator, also a civilian volunteer, will be stationed in Egypt to oversee the coordination of SRC's response activities. (Photo: Singapore Red Cross) The Israel-Hamas war is now into its 18th month. At least 51,200 people have been killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza. 'If you look at Gaza, it's a catastrophe on all fronts, and there is nothing where you can find something positive over the last almost two years,' said Mr Juan Pedro Schaerer, the head of the regional delegation of the ICRC. Relief efforts have been hampered by restrictions at the Rafah border crossing and ongoing violence that recently killed Palestine Red Crescent volunteers and staff in Gaza. THE CRISIS IN SYRIA On the situation in Syria, Mr William said it is dealing with a 'complex crisis' amid a civil war and the aftermath of a deadly 7.8 magnitude quake that struck the country and neighbouring Türkiye in February 2023. More than 5,700 people were killed in Syria, and more than 8 million people were affected, SRC said. To support long-term recovery efforts, the SRC will commit an additional S$600,000 in humanitarian assistance. The additional efforts will support a range of critical interventions, including enhancements to nutrition services to address malnutrition, essential medical supplies and water sanitation initiatives in Northwest Syria. 'The Singapore Red Cross will remain unwavering in its commitment to helping to rebuild the lives and ensuring that no one is left behind or forgotten,' said Mr William. 'And in the case of Syria, this can easily happen.' One of the biggest challenges impeding these relief efforts is access. In Myanmar, much of the quake-hit zones are in areas that are affected by the ongoing civil war. Although a ceasefire has been announced, there are still conflicts, making it difficult for humanitarian actors to know which safe spaces they can access, said Mr William. This is on top of the fact that a lot of infrastructure has collapsed due to the earthquake, making it challenges to access affected areas, he added. Mr Elkhan Rahimov, the IFRC representative to ASEAN, added that another challenge is the shifting attention of the public to other issues. 'Unfortunately, even with the disasters on this scale, attention shifts quite swiftly from one emergency to another,' he said. But the first response always comes from the community, he added. To date, the SRC has raised more than S$4 million through its public appeal for those affected by the Myanmar earthquake. 'The generous outpouring of support has enabled SRC to deliver critical aid, but the needs on the ground remain urgent,' the SRC said. It has called on the public to continue to support the affected communities. The SRC is running public fundraising appeals for Gaza until Apr 30, and for the Myanmar and Thailand earthquake until May 30. Singapore Red Cross Myanmar crisis Gaza Syria
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Singapore Red Cross earmarks S$150,000 for Myanmar, Thailand quake relief
SINGAPORE, March 29 — The Singapore Red Cross (SRC) has pledged an initial S$150,000 (RM495,000) to aid relief efforts in Myanmar and Thailand after a magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck on March 28. A public fundraising appeal will follow, SRC announced today. Funds will provide emergency supplies such as food, water, blankets, tarpaulins, and hygiene kits. SRC secretary-general Benjamin William said the organisation is deeply concerned for affected communities, where many are 'injured, displaced and in urgent need of assistance.' 'Widespread damage to infrastructure is hindering urgent rescue and relief operations on the ground. The scale of devastation calls for swift and coordinated humanitarian response,' he was quoted saying by The Straits Times. SRC is coordinating with local Red Cross societies and may deploy humanitarian responders. The quake, centered in Myanmar's second-largest city, Mandalay, was followed by a magnitude-6.4 aftershock. The disaster has killed at least 144 people and injured 732 in Myanmar, with the death toll expected to rise, according to the country's junta chief. In Bangkok, where a state of emergency has been declared, nine fatalities were confirmed, including eight in a building collapse. More than 100 remain missing.
