New school appeal for earthquake-hit Haiti

PRIMARY and secondary pupils from Dundee have joined forces with the city's Lord Provost John Letford to launch a fund-raising drive to build a new school in earthquake-devastated Haiti.

The campaign to raise the 150,000 required to build a new school in the capital Port au Prince is being spearheaded by the city council and Mary's Meals, the Argyll-based charity which sets up school-feeding projects for impoverished children.

Earlier this year, in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, a total of 25,000 was raised by the people of Dundee for Mary's Meals which was already involved in school-feeding projects in Haiti before the earthquake struck.

Provost Letford said: "Through the work of the Disaster Relief Fund (Dundee) and our connections with Mary's Meals we have already donated some money to Haiti, but re-building the damaged infrastructure takes more time and effort.

"Mary's Meals was involved in projects to attract pupils to school in Haiti by providing a daily meal. But since the earthquake there is no proper facility for the children to come to.

"That is why I am asking every Dundonian to make whatever contribution they can to the Disaster Relief Fund (Dundee) to help us raise the 150,000 needed to build a new school."