Local telecommunications company Digicel Samoa Ltd has teamed up with the Digicel Pacific family to raise funds for the Kingdom of Tonga following last month’s twin volcanic eruption and tsunami disasters.

The company has sent out text messages to its customers since Friday inviting them to donate to the fundraising event.

“Help us rebuild our Tongan community together! Text DONATE to 178 and you will be charged $1 [tala],” read one of its text messages on Friday.

In a telephone interview with the Samoa Observer on Saturday, the Digicel Samoa C.E.O. Seiuli Deepak Khanna said Digicel is present in Tonga and was able to restore the connectivity first in the island country following the twin disasters.

He also acknowledged the assistance of their Australian partner, telecommunications firm Telstra.

"We know a lot of our friends and families are based in Tonga so it's an initiative we have taken over here to support the Red Cross over there because right now they are still going through the rebuilding activity of the country," Seiuli told the Samoa Observer.

"There is a whole lot of effort right now being taken, both by the Red Cross [and] Digicel. From our side we are out there in the community and in that [...] we get the water across, the food and apart from the restoration connectivity.”

According to Seiuli, all proceeds from the mobile phone-based donations will go to Red Cross in Tonga.

"Whatever we raise it will go to support because not only us, the full Digicel family across all the six countries where we are in the Pacific, all of them are contributing at this point of time," he said.

"So it's the time right now, the Tongan families need us so I would request everyone to have a tala donation. 

“Even if some of us contribute today, at least there will be some amount going there and we will be able to provide to Red Cross all the [...] necessary food, [...] fresh water all of that to help them get back.

Digicel customers have until 28 February to make donations to the fundraising.