Singapore Red Cross sends 9 volunteers to Egypt for Gaza relief work, S$815,000 worth of aid

Source: TODAY

SINGAPORE -- To help those affected by the ongoing war in Gaza, the Singapore Red Cross has, for the first time, sent volunteers to Egypt to oversee and help with the delivery of US$600,000 (S$815,000) in humanitarian aid there.

Eight of them will be in Egypt from April 22 to 28. They will help in procuring food supplies and packing them to be sent to Gaza, among other duties.

An operations coordinator -- also a volunteer -- will be stationed there for about two months to oversee the activities.

The supplies are part of the charity's third tranche of aid for displaced persons living in refugee camps in North Sinai, Egypt -- located close to the Gaza border -- and to people in Gaza, said the Red Cross on Wednesday (April 24).

Food parcels will be distributed to those in need along the Gaza strip, with the help of Red Cross counterparts the Egyptian and Palestinian Red Crescent societies.

Speaking to the media at their office on Wednesday, Singapore Red Cross chief executive officer Benjamin Williams said that the team is made up of volunteers with "years of experience" who are adaptable and have gone through training to handle different scenarios such as natural disasters and earthquakes.

He also noted that that are several challenges in providing aid in Gaza.

For one, the crisis has been extremely unpredictable, such as the number of trucks allowed to enter Gaza to deliver aid, he said.

There are also limits to what volunteers can do on the ground as they are unable to enter Gaza. This is unlike in other crises or disasters, where the Singapore Red Cross can deploy volunteer teams to provide medical aid and water sanitation.

"I've been in the Red Cross now for more than 10 years. This is one of those cases where the operations become very unpredictable," said Mr Williams.

"Things change from day to day -- one day you're optimistic, the next day you're pessimistic. That is why we have invested a bit... into putting a team on the ground."