February 15, 2020
Update on Fundraising Campaign for Medical Supplies #1
Dear CCFS members and fundraising supporters,
On February 4, 2020 (Tuesday), the Canada-China Friendship Society (CCFS) initiated a
fundraising campaign to help Chinese hospitals combat the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
Thank you for your support. At the time of writing this update, $8,385 has been raised.
The Bethune International Peace Hospital is at the forefront of the battle in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. They have specified an urgent need for a range of protective medical supplies including masks and goggles. In response to these urgent needs, the CCFS allocated all of the $7,145 raised between February 4 and 7, 2020 to purchase 3 cases (6000 units) of masks, 215 pairs of protective goggles, and for shipping. These supplies constitute our first shipment, and will go to the Bethune International Peace Hospital.
Two main challenges have emerged during the campaign. Firstly, sourcing and purchasing the proper medical quality supplies at a reasonable price. The cost of relevant supplies such as masks has gone up significantly due to the high domestic and international demand. Secondly, as many airlines have cancelled flights to China, economical shipping options have become almost impossible.
The search for suitable medical supplies focused mainly on Ottawa and Toronto. We were very thankful when all medical supplies were secured. They all safely arrived in Toronto on February 11th.
The team explored various delivery methods and found that the shipping cost has significantly increased in less than a week. One courier service quoted us $4700!! After much research and many dead ends, we are extremely grateful to have found AWOT Global Logistics Canada Corp. AWOT has helped many Toronto organizations ship donated medical supplies to China since the COVID-19 outbreak last month. They agreed to waive their service fees and will try their best to help us ship within our budget by charging us disbursements only (e.g. airline costs, etc.). We are very thankful to have found this good Samaritan!! If all goes well, the medical supplies will leave Toronto on February 18th to Seoul, and will then depart Seoul on February 22nd to Tianjin.
CCFS has received multiple requests for help. Therefore, the remaining funds, $1,240, which were largely raised between February 8 and 16, 2020 will be used to cover any outstanding shipping cost for the first shipment, and to help the Anqing Municipal Government. The City of Anqing is close to the Hubei Province where COVID-19 hits hard. There are many migrant workers living in the seven counties of Anqing who work in Wuhan, Hubei Province. Anqing has little visibility in the donor community and they have requested our assistance to provide them with funds or medical protective supplies to support their efforts in epidemic prevention
and control. With the continuing support of individual Canadians, we hope the funds available to support Anqing will grow considerably. We encourage you to donate and to spread the word so that Anqing people can receive the assistance they urgently need. The CCFS will continue providing updates to ensure transparency of the fundraising campaign. We sincerely thank you for your consideration and support. If you have questions, please feel free to contact us at Contact.CCFSO@gmail.com. Best regards, Executive team, Canada-China Friendship Society
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