Responding to the devastation brought by Typhoon Odette (known internationally as Typhoon Rai), Southville For Others (SFO) and the Perpetual Help Community Cooperative (PHCCI) rallied the students of Southville Global Education Network (SGEN) in two succeeding donation drives that began December 23, 2021 and will last until February 28, 2022 to aid the families affected by said typhoon.
The charitable initiatives called “Give Love This Christmas: Call for Donations for the Victims of Typhoon Odette” and “ Help Rebuild a Home for Odette Victims” had its donors deposit cash to the SEED Foundation Inc. bank account for the recovery of families residing in the Municipality of Bindoy, Negros Oriental. Donations were done on-site at the Philippine National Bank (PNB) Las Piñas-Aguilar Avenue branch or online through GCash.
“We are again humbly knocking on your generous hearts for any donation in cash for the families in Bindoy, Negros Oriental who lost everything and are in urgent need. . . . Thank you very much and may you all be blessed abundantly for your generous hearts,” SFO Committee Chairman and SISC President Dr. Jocelyn P. Tizon said in an official announcement.
SFO used all proceeds to purchase family packs and construction materials. Each family pack contained canned goods, packed noodles, rice sacks, and toiletries providing basic necessities to the Negrense families. Construction materials—particularly GI sheets, lumber, nails, and plywood—were used in rebuilding destroyed homes in Bindoy with each ₱30,000 raised sponsoring one family.
PHCCI’s branch in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental assessed the situation in Bindoy and distributed these items to identified victims throughout the municipality.
Typhoon Odette, the strongest tropical cyclone that struck The Philippines in 2021, made nine landfalls in the country from December 16-18. Negros Oriental recorded 74 deaths as of December 22 and ₱600-M worth of destroyed infrastructure. Bindoy was among the most damaged municipalities and cities in Negors Oriental following flash floods and powerful winds.
Lifting up spirits
“The campaign can help [SGEN students] realize how one person, moreso a collection of people, can help humanity, especially those who are in need,” SFO said collectively regarding the Typhoon Odette donation drives. “It helps SGEN students develop empathy for others and realize their ability to help people who are less fortunate than themselves.”
The humanitarian committee of SGEN, SFO has consistently promoted spirits of charity in donation drives even during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. These ranged from purchasing necessities for affected school employees, to offering medical supplies to local Las Piñas hospitals, giving COVID-19 hygiene essentials to partner Las Piñas public schools through Brigada Eskwela, and delivering relief goods to the citizens of Daet, Camarines Norte affected by Typhoons Rolly and Ulysses in “Operation Paglingap”.
With the recent onslaught of Typhoon Odette, the committee was pursuant to raise SGEN’s awareness of assisting typhoon victims, particularly Negrense families in Bindoy. SFO said, “[C]onstruction materials and family packs are the immediate needs of the Bindoy, Negros Oriental community which gets very little media coverage and assistance from government agencies despite suffering severe damage from Typhoon Odette.”
SFO explained that PHCCI and their representative on the ground, Ms. Nolie Duran, helped assess which specific families were in need of relief the most. They prioritized victims that lost their homes and currently reside in evacuation centers where social distancing isn’t observed.
The first initiative, “Give Love This Christmas,” occurred from December 23-31, 2021. Through social media posts detailing its goals and procedures, word of the donation drive spread. All seven schools of SGEN and its allied organization, the Asian Association of School HRMD Practitioners Inc. (AASHPI), were invited to participate in it. SFO channeled the donations through PHCCI, which has been coordinating humanitarian efforts in the area following the typhoon.
“SFO capitalized on the generosity of people during the holiday season in December to support the donation drive. There was an immediate response of giving and sharing their blessings because the call for help for the victims of Typhoon Odette was also trending at that time,” the committee said.
The results of “Give Love This Christmas” prompted SFO to launch a continuation donation drive exclusive to house reconstruction. “Help Rebuild a Home for Odette Victims” began last January 8, 2022 and will end on February 28. This came to be after a follow-up meeting with PHCCI officers gave the opportunity to further expand their familial humanitarian aid. A former SFO employee in Dumaguete City profiled additional families who were still displaced.
With more than ₱430,000 raised so far and 15 houses already bound for reconstruction, SFO is hopeful that the Negrense families struck by Typhoon Odette will discover that there will always be people committed to help them through the generosity SGEN offered. The committee said, “We hope the donations will lift their spirits up as they can rebuild what was lost in the typhoon—their home.”
SFO gives its appreciation to all SGEN students, parents, employees, and supporters who have donated throughout these successful donation drives. The committee added, “You may not get to see the homes and lives you helped rebuild but know for sure that what you did had a tremendous impact on their path to recovery.”
SFO is still accepting cash donations until February 28. Donors must deposit through the SEED Foundation Inc. bank account (Peso account number: 1451-7000-1355) at the PNB Las Piñas-Aguilar Avenue branch. Copies of their deposit slips should be emailed to accounting@southville.edu.ph and sfo@southville.edu.ph with their name as its subject. For inquiries, contact SFO Lead Coordinator Ms. Jorge Balela at sfo@southville.edu.ph.
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