Ma’afu Fia and Elvis Taione have asked for support from the Ospreys supporters for the Tongan earthquake appeal at the United Rugby championship fixture against Zebre Parma on Sunday.
The Tongan internationals have organised a fundraiser for the Earthquake Aid Appeal for Tonga and have donated a selection of rugby jerseys and unique prizes for a raffle and auction during the game at the Swansea.com Stadium.
The following prizes are all up for grabs:
- Signed Wales Six Nations Jersey
- Signed Tonga Jersey
- Signed Ospreys Jersey
- 2 x Wales v France tickets
- 4 x Ospreys v Scarlets Tickets
- Ospreys Umbro Gift Pack
- Mascot Opportunity for U12 at Ospreys v Bulls
You can purchase a raffle ticket at £2 by clicking here.
The Pacific Island was blanketed in a layer of volcanic ash after an undersea volcano triggered a tsunami, leaving homes and buildings flattened.
The capital was left devastated and it took days for the communication links to be restored after the eruption of the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai volcano on January 15th.
Fia’s home village in Tonga, Ha’avakotolo, was particularly devastated by the disaster and he is desperate to raise much needed funds and offer support to his fellow countrymen and women back home.
He has spoken publicly about the initial impact of the disaster and the need for financial support to help with the clean up and to rebuild homes and businesses in Tonga.
“My home village was really hit hard by the earthquake and I felt a real duty to do what I could to help people get back on their feet and rebuild the place,” said Fia.
“The place has been devastated by what happened and myself and Elvis felt we needed to do something to support the people back home.
“The UK and Wales has a lot of Tongans playing rugby for clubs here and many of them have run their own fundraising campaigns.
“We decided to organise our own fundraiser for the Ospreys supporters and with the funds raised we can buy essential supplies in New Zealand to be sent home by air or sea.
“We would be grateful to all the Ospreys supporters for helping us with this fundraising initiative.”
The pair have donated international playing jerseys for the raffle and auction and the funds will be sent to New Zealand where essential supplies can be bought and sent to Tonga.