Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo dug into his pockets in support of those affected by the earthquake in Nepal, and he’s asking fans to do the same.
The 30-year-old Portuguese athlete donated 7 million euro, or more than $7.8 million, to relief efforts, according to French outlet So Foot. As The Guardian noted, citing reports out of France, Ronaldo’s gift was given to Save the Children — an international group providing items like food, water and hygiene kits to families in Nepal.
On April 28 — three days after the earthquake struck the South Asian country — Ronaldo posted on his official Facebook page, encouraging followers to give to the organization.
Help the children affected by #NepalQuake by supporting Save the Children’s relief efforts: http://bit.ly/1DDZ19Y
Posted by Cristiano Ronaldo on Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Ronaldo’s gift comes amid a lagging response from international donors, and the current widespread, global need for humanitarian aid is to blame, according to some.
“There are so many other global emergencies [occurring] now,†Rick Brennan, emergency director of the World Heath Organization (WHO) told Reuters. “There is a lot of demand for the humanitarian dollar.â€
The United Nations reported last Thursday that just $22.4 million of the $415 million it requested the week prior had been provided to aid efforts.
The earthquake — the worst to hit Nepal in more than 80 years, according to CNN — has killed more than 8,000 people, the country’s National Emergency Operation Center reported.
H/T New York Daily News
The button below indicates how much has been raised on Crowdrise’s “Nepal Earthquake Relief†page. Click to visit the site and donate.
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