Disaster Relief – Page 2 – Goducate … Go And Educate!

2020-12-182020-12-19

Goducate Laguna brings aid and joy to typhoon-affected Rizal

Goducate Laguna has been providing aid to several typhoon-affected places in the Philippines. One of the places visited was the Rizal Provincial Sanitary Landfill area, about 2 hours’ drive from Goducate Laguna. The heavy rain and fierce winds brought by Typhoon Ulysses caused massive flooding, submerged houses and cars, knocked down power lines, displaced garbage and mud in Rizal. The state-of-the-art sanitary landfill site is one of the three that previously catered for solid waste from several cities of Metro Manila and Rizal. Most of the adults in the area work as garbage collectors.

*Wading in mud to salvage belongings from damaged houses*

Goducate distributed a gallon of water and six boiled eggs to each of 204 families living near the landfill site. The people were very desperate for clean water. They normally get well water but the wells had become contaminated with garbage. They also buy drinking water, but the loss of jobs during the typhoon period meant that they could not afford it.

Seeing how bad the situation was in the Rizal landfill area, Goducate Laguna returned to the area to hold a Children’s Big Day. The children were very excited and turned up without breakfast or lunch because they expected to be fed. They were given a meal of spaghetti with fried chicken. It was touching to see how the children dealt with their food, sniffing their apple to enjoy its fragrance before eating it, sharing lollipops with their parents, and saving a portion of their food to take home for their siblings.

*Distributing apples on Children’s Big Day*

The 330 children who attended the Big Day also joined in the singing of carols, enjoyed a musical, took part in games and went home with gift packs consisting of a hygiene kit, biscuits, candies, an apple and some c2 green tea. For some of the children it was the first time they had received a gift.

*Our guest writer is Gemma Abrenilla, staff member of Goducate Laguna.

2020-11-202020-11-26

Goducate helps victims of typhoons in Philippines

Goducate’s Meek and Lowly Community Center in Tagumpay, Bay, Laguna, Philippines, housed local residents who had to evacuate their homes because of two powerful typhoons that have hit the area so far this month.

Typhoon Rolly (international name Goni) was the most powerful storm recorded worldwide this year. It made landfall in the region of Bicol twice and went on to hit land twice more in the region of Calabarzon as a typhoon, before rapidly weakening into a tropical storm over the West Philippines Sea.

Most of the houses in Barangay Tagumpay are not very sturdily built. Hence on Oct 31, before the typhoon began, some people already asked permission to bring their belongings to the Center so that it would be easy for them to evacuate their homes when they needed to. They moved into the Center on Nov 1.

Because of the need to observe social distancing in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Meek and Lowly Community Center could accommodate 23 families (97 individuals) only who needed shelter from Typhoon Rolly. Others had to seek shelter elsewhere. Febie Ibaňez, a Goducate volunteer, together with Goducate scholars, ensured that safety protocols were followed. The Barangay Captain and Rural Health Unit (RHU) medical team visited the evacuees several times to check that conditions were satisfactory.

The Municipal Social and Welfare Development (MSWD) immediately distributed food packs, alcohol-based disinfectants, and face masks. Congresswoman Ruth Hernandez also visited the Center with relief supplies. Through this visit, the congresswoman learnt about life in the village. It led her to invite Goducate to draw up a proposal for the materials needed for the reconstruction of the damaged houses of those evacuees.

The evacuees were able to return home on Nov 2 after a night at the center, but many asked whether they could leave their belongings at the Center until such time as their homes were repaired.

Typhoon Rolly was followed by Typhoons Siony and Tonyo, but these were not severe enough to force the villagers to leave their homes. However, these typhoons were followed by Typhoon Ulysses (international name Vamco), which was as strong as Typhoon Rolly and caused severe flooding also.

During Typhoon Ulysses, 20 families (99 individuals) were admitted to the Meek and Lowly Community Center on Nov 12. There they were visited by Barangay officials, who distributed food packs. Because of concern that the Meek and Lowly Center would soon be flooded, the Barangay officials transferred the evacuees to another center after a couple of days.

Goducate supporters also contributed funds for meals for the families and volunteers.

*Flood water still on the rise during Typhoon Ulysses*

*Our guest writer is Honeylyn Pereira, a Goducate staff member.

2020-04-172020-05-08

Goducate Laguna distributes food packs and face shields

Goducate Laguna has distributed 878 food packs during this Covid-19 pandemic. Each pack contains 3 kg rice and some other groceries.

On March 16, the Philippines introduced its Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) to try to limit the spread of Covid-19 by drastically restricting the movement of the population. The ECQ was originally to have ended on April 12, but has since been extended a couple of times in parts of the country. In Calabarzon, the administrative district which covers the province of Laguna, the ECQ has been extended to May 15.

The ECQ has caused loss of income, and also loss of jobs, for many people. Pastors are one group that is affected because when there are no physical Sunday services, offerings drop.

In the last week of March and the first two weeks of April, Camp Goducate Laguna distributed food packs to 383 households in different areas in Laguna, namely, Bay, Calauan and Los Banos. The food packs were also distributed to 301 senior citizens, 51 frontliners (village officials, policemen, and health workers), 60 people with disabilities in Puypuy Bay Laguna, and 83 pastors and life coaches in some parts of Calabarzon.

Apart from the food packs, Goducate also distributed pamphlets on the benefits of moringa (malunggay) and how to make moringa powder. Moringa oleifera is a plant widely grown in the Philippines, and its leaves are known to contain many nutrients. Teaching about its health value and how to use it is a program which is part of Goducate’s Health Information Drive. Moringa could be a good alternative source of nutrients during this ECQ because panic buying could mean that vitamins and nutritional supplements are quickly sold out.

Helping out with the distribution of food packs were barangay (village) health workers and officials, members of the police force, pastors, and Goducate scholars.

This food-distribution project was supported by the Meek and Lowly Trust (Singapore), which will also be supporting the distribution of face shields to the Calabarzon area.

*Our guest writer is Mae Diaz Luceno, staff member in Goducate Laguna.