Batch36: Santa Ana
THE OUTREACH
Brgy. Santa Ana is rebuilding! Sign of progress and hope as families return to what’s left of their homes. Some completely destroyed by the powerful force of chest-high flood water brought by Typhoon Carina. They carry back with them what they could grab at a last moment’s notice as the flood inches higher and higher. In what was their house, they are welcomed back by debris probably from somebody else’s house originally a mile away before the typhoon made landfall. Two months ago, they found refuge at this covered basketball court located on higher grounds. The court became the relief center with tents that provided temporary shelter, while they wait for what’s to become of their lives.
In this same covered basketball court, we met up with the Amings - our friends from this area who we’ve partnered with before in many community outreaches. They coordinated with a local contact to set up a day to invite the flood victims so we can give them some goods to help them get back on their feet. We gave them clothes to add to whatever they have left. We handed them groceries to last them a couple of meals. We gifted them with a day or so worth of rice enough for a family of four. 30% of the community’s population is aged 15 and below, and we fed 191 of them that day with Angel’s Hotdogs and Zesto juice.
After the distribution, we went to the flood path to see with our own eyes the destruction caused by Mother Nature. The ground is still muddy with patches of stagnant water in almost every step. We were walking streets that were submerged not too long ago. We saw a family busy rebuilding their house, with one wall already up. A mother cares for her daughter, same woman enjoying our gifts in the court earlier.
We would like to thank everyone who contributed to our Typhoon Carina fundraiser. Every penny collected was used to fully fund this outreach. A big shoutout to all those who volunteered for this event, especially saving a Sunday for us. Thanks to the Amings for connecting us with the people of Brgy. Santa Ana.
THE TOUR
After the outreach, the Amings took us for a quick drive to the flood path to see with our own eyes the destruction caused by Typhoon Carina. The ground is still muddy with patches of stagnant water in almost every step. Piles of debris in every corner means there’s at least some cleaning up in the process. Stack of cinder blocks and construction wood shows rebuilding is in progress. Citizens at work, giving back lives to their homes and to themselves. Returning to normality. Preparing for the next flood.
If we had P50 for every LIKES we received in all our social media posts about our recent Typhoon Carina Fundraiser plus all the LIKES we received through DMs, we would have enough money to buy close to 5,000 kilos of rice, a couple thousand packs of ramen, and hundreds of canned goods. That’s enough food to feed a whole community for weeks.
If.
We would like to thank those who did contribute to our fundraiser. Your donations helped us give relief to Brgy. Santa Ana (San Mateo, Rizal), partially submerged due to the flooding caused by the typhoon. Using 100% of the funds donated, we fed 191 kids (Angel’s hotdog and Zesto juice box) and gave relief packs to 87 families (1 kilo of rice, a bag of groceries, and a bag of clothes).
