#BangonVisMin - A Typhoon Odette Fundraiser

Hi, this is Steph Villarica & Ria Fernandez and we both grew up in Cebu.

 

Disclaimer: Cash donations will be allocated to the ongoing relief operations already being mobilized for the different areas affected by the recent typhoon. We decided that since most of the ongoing relief ops are using PH bank accounts for donations, creating this GoFundMe will make it easier for those abroad to send in what they can.

 

Last Thursday, about 1/3 of our country was ripped apart by a category 5 typhoon (259 kph ++). It flattened entire towns through several provinces from east to west, including our hometown Cebu.

 

It’s Day 4 since the typhoon, and this is the situation:

 

⚠️ Over 200 dead so far but many areas are still out of contact

⚠️ No electricity, it is pitch dark at night even in a big modern city like Cebu

⚠️ Communication lines are down, many towers were destroyed

⚠️ Water and fuel are scarce, people are queueing for 3-5 hours for these

⚠️ Power generators are sold out everywhere

⚠️ Hundreds of thousands of families lost their homes and livelihoods

⚠️ Many have no food, running out of drinking water

⚠️ Local authorities are overwhelmed as they were victims as well

⚠️ Many people, even some of our own friends, have still not heard from their families if they’re okay

 

Our families, friends and countrymen are going through great suffering right now, and so close to Christmas.

 

We grew up weathering multiple typhoons a year, but nothing ever of this scale. The national government and the rest of the country are still mobilizing. We are thousands of miles away in other continents (Ria is currently based in Australia and Steph was lucky enough to fly to the US with her family just a day before the typhoon hit), so the most we can do, apart from our own giving, is to find more help and bring awareness to this.

 

Please.. PLEASE send help. No amount is too small, I promise.

 

If you have any money to spare, you can send donations to trusted organizations in the places I’ll be posting in the comments.

 

If you are unable to give at this time, I understand. But could I ask you for a couple of things?

 

1. Pray for our people, for rescue and comfort. That both their physical and spiritual needs may be addressed quickly. Many people are waiting in much pain.

 

2. Please help share the situation to the rest of the world and call for action regarding the climate crisis. It is real and it is literally killing us.

 

xx

 Here is an initial list of ongoing relief operations we will tap for the cash donations:

1. Tanging Yaman Foundation Inc
2. Ayala Foundation 
3. Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc 
4. Waves for Water 
5. Homes of Hope Cebu 
6. Lokal Lab Siargao 
7. Tabang Dinagat 
8.  Balsa Mindanao
9. Rotary Club of Tagbilaran 
10. Seed4Com 
11. Habitat for Humanity Philippines 
12. Share Philippines 
13. Lamari Siargao 
14. Creators United 
15. Rock Ed Relief  
16. Private group effort through the owners of Balay Cebu 
17. Vivant Foundation 
18. Escano Family Private Relief Ops for Malitbog Leyte 
19. Siargao Relief Ops through Private Individuals 
20. Rotary Club of Cebu 

 

 

You can also check our personal FB accounts for updates:
Steph Villarica Facebook 
Ria Fernandez Facebook