Detroit Lions offensive lineman Halapoulivaati Vaitai would love your support in helping to bring relief the his native country of Tonga who’s island was devastated by a volcanic eruption and tsunami on January 15, 202 .

Vaitai was born in Texas and is the son of Talikavili and Shirley Vaitai who are of Tongan descent. He is very close to his family and culture so to hear the news of what happened to the island, he was very adamant in doing what he could to not only raise awareness but also contribute to the care of Tongan people and the rebuilding efforts. 

“I just want to let Tonga and the rest of the Polynesian community to know that Tonga is in my prayers. Atatā, Ha’atafu, Kanokupolu got hit hard. Everything got wiped out. All those people looking for shelter, food, and water. To my Polynesian brothers and sisters, if we can all come together and donate, whatever we raise, I will match. I will provide clean water, food rations, blankets, etc… Tonga needs our help.”, says Vaitai.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. - Isaiah 41:10

Any donations made to help this cause, Vaitai has pledged to match. We appreciate your support and willingness to give. 


What’s Happening:
In the Pacific, the country of Tonga was cut off from the rest of the world after an enormous volcanic eruption and subsequent tsunami hit the country on January 15, 2022. All communication lines in the country were disrupted for more than three days. Communication lines have slowly started to be restored with limited connectivity in some parts of the country. With restored communications, people are starting to receive international calls and access to the internet in certain organizations. There was significant damage to homes with some houses completely wiped out as well as infrastructure on the west coast of Tongatapu island, not far from the Tongan capital. Thousands of people do not have access to safe and clean drinking water due to the saltwater flooding from the tsunami and widespread ashfall from this volcanic eruption, one of the biggest on record in the South Pacific.

 

Tonga Red Cross workers have been assisting people from the moment the tsunami alert was triggered, and are ramping up the delivery of drinking water, temporary shelters and other critical relief supplies across the country’s many islands. The Tonga Red Cross has used two satellite phones to reconnect families with relatives abroad. Red Cross teams were able to facilitate 300 calls in the first two days.

 

To support the relief efforts of the Tonga Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is coordinating with the global Red Cross network to provide urgent assistance including safe water, tarps, shelter materials and tool kits to rebuild, household items such as kitchen cooking sets and hygiene kits. The American Red Cross is coordinating with the global Red Cross network to assist as requested.