10:00am Tuesday 9th February 2010
By Diarmuid MacDonagh
A LIFE-saving box has been doing the rounds at local schools to inspire youngsters to raise funds for Haiti.
The ShelterBox made its latest stop at Dorchester Middle School as Rotarians spoke to children about the Haitian earthquake and the devastating effect it has had on the population.
Retired teacher Ron Wrigley, of Dorchester Rotary Club, said a lot of schools have decided to raise money for the cause as a result of the visit.
“They cost about £500 so it’s good for schools to have something to aim for.
“Some of them have been saving for the Water Survival boxes which cost around £250 to £300.”
Dorchester Rotary Club and Dorchester Casterbridge Rotary Club have funded 54 Water Survival boxes and 28 Shelter-Boxes so far.
Water Survival boxes contain a filtration pack that will purify water for a family of four for four months.
The total funds raised by a Dorchester appeal for Haiti – made up of the Thomas Hardye School, the Rotary clubs and Wessex FM – now stands at £30,134.
Mr Wrigley said Dorchester youngsters have developed a good understanding of the crisis in Haiti.
“Some of the questions they’re asking in the schools are fantastic.
“Even the little ones are asking some cracking questions.
“You ask them if they would want to stay in a tent for a night and they all say ‘yes’, and then you ask them if they would want to stay in it for a month and they all say ‘no’.
“Seeing the box has really got them thinking about what they actually need to survive and it gives them a greater sense of what they have and what other people haven’t got.”
Some 300 Water Survival boxes are due to be sent out this week and flown to Santo Domingo from where they will be trucked to people in Port au Prince, the capital of Haiti.
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