Help Tonga Recovery Fund

On Saturday, January 15, Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai, a volcano erupted near the Kingdom of Tonga, creating catastrophic events throughout the island chain. 

The tsunami that hit Tonga's largest island, Tongatapu, sent waves flooding into the capital and devastated the smaller neighbor island of Ha'apai;  propelling a thick cloud of ash and gas steam into the air that would later cover the small island nation.

 

There has been limited to no communications with residents in Tonga, as the underwater volcanic eruption also damaged the main ocean fiber optic cable that supplies connectivity and telecommunications services to the country.   Now, with 105,000 residents living in Tonga and the country’s request for "contact-less aid" due to recent COVID-19 outbreaks, the current sense of any recovery from this devastation is very low but not impossible. 

Therefore, on behalf of my family members and residents living in Tonga, I created this GoFundMe to raise funds for the Tonga Relief Efforts Donation Drive with Aloha United Way (AUW) on Monday, February 21, at the Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, HI. 

 
Items to donate have been tiered by highest need: 
Tier 1: Agricultural Tools and Equipment.  Such as shovels, rakes, wheelbarrows, tarps, solar lights, push brooms, scrubbing brush, and safety gloves. 
Tier 2:  Water Filtration Systems and PPE.  Such as water tanks, Brita pitchers, water desalination kits as well as KN95 masks, cleaning agents, and gloves.
Tier 3: Non-Perishable Items.  Such as bags of rice, boxes of ramen noodles, canned fish, meat-based canned soups/stews, and canned fruit.  
Tier 4: Hygiene and Wash Kits.  Such as sanitation wipes, soap bars, body wash, deodorant, body lotion, shampoo, toothpaste, and toothbrush.

Relief items will be received and distributed by the Church of Tonga amongst the most vulnerable families and communities on Tongatapu as well as Ha'apai.  Thank you to everyone who has kept my humble home country and the people of Tonga in their thoughts and prayers. 

Very much appreciated right now as every act of kindness counts.

 

‘Ofa lahi atu moe lotu.

For more information, please visit: https://www.staradvertiser.com/2022/02/17/hawaii-news/donation-drive-to-aid-tonga-set-for-monday/