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The Department of International Relations and Cooperation, on behalf of the Government of South Africa, contributed an amount of R4 million in response to the call for international assistance by the Government of the Philippines.

The contribution by South Africa was made to Rescue SA towards its rescue operations in the Philippines in the wake of the Super Typhoon Haiyan which claimed more than two thousand lives, caused many injuries and left behind a trail of devastation.

Rescue SA mobilised a 20-member rescue team comprising a group of experienced doctors, paramedics, fire, rescue and related professional personnel to the Philippines sourced from the metropolitan municipalities of Tshwane, Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni as well as two nationals of Lesotho and Zambia for capacity building.

The Rescue SA team left South Africa for the Philippines on Saturday, 16 November 2013. The primary aim of the rescue mission is to deploy its personnel to isolated areas that have been ravaged by the Super Typhoon in order to provide access where needed, remove debris where necessary, resuscitate, stabilise and treat injured victims when appropriate and  expedite transport and transfer when medically indicated.  

In the spirit of solidarity and ubuntu, South Africa shares the pain and suffering that the people of Philippines are enduring.