Though this is his fourth year in Halifax, third-year Civil Engineering student Chaz Garraway still calls Nassau, Bahamas home. That’s why he’s joined with other Bahamians across Nova Scotia to collect aid for those devastated by Hurricane Dorian — the strongest hurricane ever to make landfall in the Bahamas.
“It's a very helpless feeling, watching all the videos and seeing all the devastation and the destruction that has happened to people that you know, people that you care about.” Chaz says. “So, I had to do something about it. I had to get involved and contribute to the rebuilding.”
Chaz has heard his family and friends are safe, but he knows the country will have a long road to recovery. He and his fellow organizers are hoping they can provide some relief by collecting donations of supplies such as hygiene products, toiletries, clothing, medical supplies, non-perishable food items, blankets, flashlights and batteries. They’ll be setting up collection boxes at all the major buildings on campus by the end of the week, and they’ve also enlisted help at other Nova Scotian universities.
Some of the students are involved with Dalhousie Caribbean Connections, which has offered to help with shipping and logistics. For now, the focus is on collecting as many supplies as they can over the next couple weeks.
“It's incredible to come together, people of all countries and backgrounds, and work together to help out for a really good cause,” Chaz says. “This is something that’s bigger than all of us—it’s a global effort.”
How to help
To make your contribution, please look for donation boxes on campus at the Black Student Advising Center & Indigenous Student Center, the Collaborative Health Education Building (CHEB), the International Center, the Life Sciences Center, the Forrest Building: School of Nursing, Imhotep’s Legacy Academy, the Alumni Lounge on Sexton Campus, the Kenneth C. Rowe Management Building and the Goldberg Computer Science Building.
For contact and donation information about relief efforts in Halifax, please follow: https://www.instagram.com/dorianreliefhfx/