Guernsey Raises £34k For UNICEF Vaccines

Donations from islanders across the Bailiwick have raised more than £34,000 to help provide Covid-19 vaccinations in poorer countries.

Guernsey Overseas Aid and Development Commission has already donated £85,000 on behalf of the Bailiwick but new fundraising efforts mean that more than 25,000 further doses of coronavirus vaccines can be provided around the world.

Each vaccination costs around £1.35 so every £1,000 can provide 740 doses.

One donation of £10,000 has been made from the Ellen Jane Rihoy Trust as part of the £34,000 raised in this summer's public appeal.

The Terrace Garden Café has also brought in more than £1,000 for VaccinAid through sales of beer and donations from customers.

Deputy Chris Blin is President of the commission:

“The Ellen Jane Rihoy Trust has been a long-standing supporter of the commission and I cannot express enough my gratitude to the trust for its incredibly generous donation. Its contribution has given a massive boost to the public appeal. I also with to thank the Terrace Garden Café for their successful fundraising efforts.

I have been personally working with the café on its fundraising initiative and can confirm that the owner and staff have gone out of their way to collect money and 2 promote the cause. By helping more countries protect their citizens, we help bring down the prevalence of the virus overall and we help avoid more outbreaks which lead to new variants including those dubbed ‘variants of concern”.

The fundraiser closes at the end of September and can be found at www.vaccinaid.org/guernsey