Why You Should Donate NOW to the disaster victims in the Philippines?

UPDATE: Dec. 17, 2013
Our first fund-raising effort was a success!
We collected over 10,000 pounds of clothing. The total funds raised = $3,260.
For updates about this and future projects, please visit www.GottaSendHelp.org .

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The Philippines has experienced multiple tragedies in the past few months:

·         Super Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda in November

·         7.2 earthquake in October

·         21-day siege in Zamboanga in September.

Tens and thousands of people are homeless, injured, or dead.

You've seen the photographs and videos of the devastation, and you want to help, but you may be reluctant to donate your hard earned money out of concern that it will not get to those who are in need of help. 

You may have also heard that the US Assistance for International Development (USAID) has sent supplies, relief staff, and $100,000 in foreign aid to the Philippines. So you may feel that your donation may not actually make a difference.

However, every bit of donation helps.

In order to understand how much your donation can help, consider the following:

·         A can of sardine costs about $0.30 .

·         A kilo of rice cost approximate $1

·         A gallon of water is about $0.87

·         A brick to help rebuild a house/school/health center is $0.25

DO you know that your $5 is about Php200 Pesos. It can purchase a family pack that has 3 kilos of rice, drinking water and 6 tin cans of beef loaf or sardines,  which is good for 4-6 meals for a family of 5. ( So that's about 2 days worth of food)

Donations of any size will make a very difference.  The question is where should you donate?  The information below is based on the research I have been doing. ( I will be updating the list as I obtain more information )

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC)

I asked my friend, Donato Kusuanco (DK), a doctor who recently moved to the Philippines so he can help the less fortunate.  DK is at "ground zero" working with the volunteers, helpers and the victims and/or survivors. He suggested that people donate to the Philippine Red Cross.

Me: "A lot of people are skeptical in donating money to organizations. Why did you chose Philippine Red Cross?"

DK: "Jen, I've worked with some of the Red Cross guys in Bohol (where the earthquake hit in October).  I've had no second thoughts donating to PRC.  It is by no means a perfect organization but I know the people there work very hard.  We can't be paralyzed by those rumors. While working with relief efforts in Bohol, I also had contact with the following organizations: Save the Children and Oxfam International. "

The Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation  

 I asked one of the leaders in the Filipino community, Tito Joe.

Me: "People of ages are asking me where to send money. What's the most effective way of helping the victims in the Philippines?"

Tito Joe: "Jen, a colleague who used to live in Connecticut and have relocated to the Philippines is leading the fund-raising campaign to help rebuild the Philippines."

"In the wake of the recent disasters that happened in different areas in the Philippines - earthquake in Bohol and Cebu,  and the 21-day siege in my hometown, Zamboanga, PDRF (Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation),  launched a crowd funding campaign to help rebuild the 3 communities devastated that were devastated.  For as little as $0.25 (PhP10.00) you get a brick that will help rebuild these communities. Every cent will make a big difference!"

FALDEF 

FALDEF's Board Director, Nimfa Du Tinana, has direct contact with the Mayor and Vice-Mayor of Cebu. On Nov. 10, her Masbate group  donated 70 sacks of rice, 30 boxes of sardines, 30 boxes of noodles, 5,000 eggs, and 30 boxes 3-in-1 coffee to families affected by the typhoon in the Philippines. When monies are donated to FALDEF for the typhoon victims, 100% of the donations are going directly to the victims. Donations are 100% tax deductible.

I asked my friends who live in the Philippines. Who do people trust the most? Since most of the relief efforts are shown on television, Gawad Kalinga and Sagip Kapamilya are the 2 of their favorites.

GAWAD KALINGA

SAGIP KAPAMILYA

So here are our suggestions:

FALDEF

PDRF: Brick-by-Brick to help the victims of typhoon Yolanda: 

PDRF: Crowd Funding Brick-by-Brick to help rebuild the Earthquake/Seige Communities ( Crowd Funding ends on Dec. 5, 2013)

Philippine Red Cross

GAWAD KALINGA

SAGIP KAPAMILYA

Save the Children

Oxfam International

My 12 year-old son and his friends are organizing various fund-raising events:

• Used Clothing Drive. We are working with clothingdrivefundraiser.com, and we'll receive a monetary donation based on the total weight of the items collected which will be donated to the Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation Brick-by-Brick Project and relief goods for the victims through FALDEF's outreach. Donations will be acknowledged individually in GottaSendHelp.org and if possible, be able to track down where the money goes.
• Quarters for Brick-by-Brick Project. Will collect quarters or any other monetary donations to help rebuild the communities in the Philippines.
• Dry Goods Collection. Donations will be picked up in NJ by RDR Cargo Express and will be shipped directly to the victims of the typhoon Yolanda in Leyte through Gawad Kalinga and Sagip Kapamilya.

  

Help is needed NOW, so please donate whatever you feel comfortable with and spread the word.  Your help will make an enormous difference in the lives of many people.

If you're interested in helping/donating to any of the above fund-raising efforts, please email us at info@gottasendhelp.org.

To those in NJ, feel free to download or share the used clothing drive poster.

Click HERE to download the Dec. 1 Donation Drive Flyer

Read THIS link on why sending shoes and clothes to the Philippines is not a good idea.

If you're trying to track missing loved ones, go to the Google-based Bayanihan PH (Click HERE)