Locals had other priorities in mind when Government asked for donations toward helping the vulnerable in Afghanistan.

Just over $1,500 has been donated since the call was made in a Throne Speech two months after the September 11 attacks on the United States.

Although Bermuda will be sending a total of $51,554 to aid with efforts to help the vulnerable in Afghanistan, $50,000 of that sum was pledged by Government as seed money to get the appeal up and running.

Last November, Government challenged every Bermuda resident to join in a UN-led campaign to raise funds for people in and around Afghanistan which became the focus of a military response to the September 11 attacks.

The appeal was made in the Throne Speech and at the time Government pledged to match contributions up to $75,000. In fact, said Cabinet Secretary John Drinkwater, $50,000 in seed money was provided by Government to start off the accounts set up for the purpose.

From a long list of projects submitted by the United Nations, Government decided to send the money to aid in the repatriation and reintegration of Afghan refugees in Uzbekistan.

But five-year-old Bermudian Sian Morris raised more than half the amount the Bermuda public voluntarily gave.

The little girl raised $770 for children in Afghanistan after she saw a BBC programme highlighting their hardships. Sian last week asked all her friends and relatives to forgo giving her birthday presents and make donations so that Afghani children could be happier. Her mother Dale, said the money was sent to 'Save the Children' with a stipulation that it be used for Afghan children.