- Typhoon Haiyan was a maximum category-five storm with gusts of up to 235mph
- Authorities say in the city of Tacloban, Leyte, alone, 10,000 could be dead
- Up to 9.5 million people have been affected [source: NBC.news]
- Bodies were seen floating in flooded streets in reminder of 2004 Tsunami
- Filipino government now considering introducing martial law to combat looting
- UN says 2.5m people need of food aid and UNICEF estimate 1.5 m children affected
- Hundreds of thousands of people in South East Asia have been evacuated
Even tho countries like Britain and the United States have pledged donations for aid (more than £6million, and $20 million respectively), the need is massive as: “In some cases the devastation has been total,” Secretary to the Cabinet Rene Almendras told a news conference.
I would like to implore you to donate to any of the organisations listed down *here* and *here*.
There are so many ways you can donate; via PayPal, credit card, online banking, and even SMS.
It’s easy to turn away and think “Oh, it’s so far away from me, poor them” and then not do anything.
This could have been you.
This could have been us.
While we’re comfortably sitting in our part of the world – working, eating, sleeping, laughing – there are a big unfortunate sum of people currently going through the worst experience of their lives. Have you ever watched The Impossible? Go watch it. Steph and i were sobbing throughout the entire movie, and it’s something we all need to watch to UNDERSTAND the calamity and enormity of natural disasters such as this recent typhoon.
Donating anything from RM10 – RM10,000 helps.
Instead of buying yourself dinner out tonight, perhaps you could donate RM50 instead.
For an idea of how far your money will go, i took this from WorldVision.org:
“Your gift will help provide vital relief to children and families devastated by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.
- $24 can provide essential supplies like a blanket and mosquito net.
- $33 can supply a hygiene kit for a family.
- $35 can provide a food kit to feed a family for 7 days.
- $184 can give a family an emergency shelter.
- $285 can provide the essentials that a family needs to survive, including food, clean water, shelter, education, and Child-Friendly Spaces.”
I initially listed below some organisations you can donate to [as listed on NBCNews.com and Time.com] but after talking to Meesh, she said that the Philippines Red Cross is the best agency to donate to cos:
– some other organisations have clauses that only get 30% of donations to where you want it to go
– $ is not wasted on logistics for overhead and transport costs
– the Philippines Red Cross can use the money to buy things locally so it all streams back into the country
The Philippine Red Cross is providing a tracking service for family members looking for missing people. The organization is accepting donations on its website (100 PHP = $2.30) and is looking for volunteers to help assemble relief packages at its headquarters in Manila.
Donate now: www.redcross.org.ph/donatenow
Links for other agencies you can donate to if you prefer:
