Digicel commend Windies trio in fund-raiser

MELBOURNE: West Indies cricket sponsor Digicel have commended the efforts of the West Indies team members Brian Lara, Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo in helping to raise over almost US$11 million for the World Vision’s Asia Tsunami Appeal by competing in the All-Star Charity match at the MCG on Monday. Digicel added US$15,000 (US$5,000) per player to the match fees donated by the players to the World Cricket Tsunami Appeal Fund. 

They have also assisted the recovery efforts in tsunami-ravaged South Asia, by donating over US$100,000 and creating a mobile phone texting donation mechanism for Digicel customers to also be able to make contributions. “We are enormously proud of the efforts made by the West Indies players to raise funds for the victims of the Indian Ocean disaster,” said Digicel Group CEO Raoul Fontanez. “As we know in the Caribbean, cricket has the ability to unite people and this all-star charity match has given the wider cricket community an opportunity to help. We hope our texting donation mechanism will also serve as an opportunity to help,” he said.

“We pledge our support to the victims of the Asian tsunami and are committed to helping them recover and rebuild the communities that have been damaged,” Fontanez added. The West Indies, scheduled to play their first VB Series match against Australia on Thursday night (Caribbean Time), gathered in Melbourne on Monday to record a special video appeal to encourage Digicel customers in the Caribbean to text their tsunami fund-raising donations via their mobile phone.