HONG KONG—In
the lead up to the first anniversary of typhoon Yolanda’s destruction of the
Visayas islands, a Filipino donor group in Hong Kong had to learn the hard way
how in-kind donations from abroad may be best sent back home.
WIMLER
Foundation Hong Kong was able to raise some HK$139,159,70 (P805,526) in cash
donations and numerous relief goods from donors in the Crown Colony and in four
other countries in the last 11 months since Yolanda (international name:
Haiyan) hopped islands in the Visayas and wrought destruction that the world
took notice.
 |
| Joy Tadios-Arenas, one of the directors of WIMLER in Bantayan, Cebu |
 |
| Three motorized fishing boats for Banate, Iloilo |
But as WIMLER
volunteers and donors had been sending these donations to affected residents in
the towns of Coron (Palawan province), Bantayan (Cebu) and Estancia (Iloilo),
something was more expensive as the relief effort from the group progressed:
The sending of the donated goods itself.
“We realized
that sending of goods from Hong Kong to the local beneficiaries was not only
impractical and complicated but even more expensive,” said Filipina-Dutch Leila
Rispens-Noel, WIMLER co-founder.
What happened
was some of the cash donations raised was used to defray the costs of shipping
relief goods to WIMLER’s beneficiary-municipalities.
For example,
about HK$6,575 (some P38,059) was spent to ship tents, 12 boxes of baby milk
and four boxes of Nestogen (an adult milk brand), 18 feeding bottles and
medicines to Coron. A separate HK$16,700 (P96,668) was spent to ship goods and
purchase of blankets, and tents benefiting 150 families in Bantayan. (Also in
Bantayan, WIMLER handed out 20 small fishing boats to affected fishermen in the
area.)
Rispens-Noel
wished that all the cash donations raised could have been used to buy goods in
affected areas —for as long as the recipient of such amounts is well-trusted.
If another
natural disaster happens, “it is better to collect the funds and send the money
to the contact person/s and who shall then be tasked to buy the goods locally
instead of sending goods from Hong Kong,” Rispens-Noel said.
Nevertheless
the lesson learned, WIMLER continued to attract donations to Yolanda-stricken
areas. Like for the beneficiaries from Estancia, Iloilo, WIMLER’s young
volunteers based in Hong Kong organized organizing a Dodgeball tournament. With
the help of such tournament, some HK$37,584 (P217,555) was raised and
eventually used to buy 38 sacks of rice, 150 pieces of blankets, 12 boxes of
Bearbrand milk, 100 pieces of aluminum kettles, and 20 liter kerosene. Some of
that amount was also used to hand out three motorized fishing boats complete
with fishing gears, support organic farming project, as well as provide
financial support to 20 Estancia-based pupils who are victims of Yolanda.
Apart
from the above fund campaigns, WIMLER
also received a total of HK$78,300.70 (P453,244) from individual and corporate
donors —including Filipino-run firms— based in Hong Kong, Netherlands, Belgium,
the United States and Mexico.
On Nov. 8,
2013, Yolanda had left 11 million people have been affected and many have been
left homeless. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council
(NDRRMC) reported that at least 6,268 died, 28,689 were injured and 1,061 were
missing given the wrath of the world’s strongest weather system to hit
landfall. Damage in agriculture and infrastructure is estimated at US$ 878.86
million.
But months
after some billions of donations had been raised worldwide, there are still
concerns surrounding the judicious use of donations on the ground after a
natural disaster. Even a recent report by the Commission on Audit (COA) showed
that over-PhP741.59 million in quick response funds that were coursed through
the Office of Civil Defense and the NDRMMC have yet to be spent.
On the part
of Filipinos abroad and their organizations, known to be frequent donors to the
motherland right after natural disasters strike, they continue to send in-kind
donations.
But given its
own experiences in response to Yolanda relief efforts, Rispens-Noel of the
three-year-old nonprofit WIMLER Foundation Hong Kong (www.wimler.org) says a
“good” agreement with relevant parties, persons or group beneficiaries must be
done before sending any goods.
“Haste makes
waste. Things not clearly communicated will not only resort to more confusion
but would make the shipment of goods more expensive.”
More news about the campaign:
http://wimler.blogspot.nl/2014/05/twenty-fisherfolks-in-bantayan-cebu.html
http://wimler.blogspot.nl/2013/12/wimler-distributels-second-wave-of.html
http://wimler.blogspot.nl/2013/12/wimlers-local-partners-distribute-900.html
http://wimler.blogspot.nl/2013/11/dodgeball-tournament-for-cause-sunday.html
http://wimler.blogspot.nl/2013/11/wimler-finally-connects-with-local.html
http://wimler.blogspot.nl/2013/11/wimler-extends-aid-to-bantayan-islands.html
About WIMLER
Foundation HK:
WIMLER
Foundation Hong Kong Ltd. was officially registered in 2011 as a non-profit and
charitable organization which primary objective is to support the capacity
building and empowerment of migrant communities regardless of nationalities and
to promote cultural diversity in Hong Kong based on mutual respect, solidarity,
and shared empowerment among peoples.
