Providing Care in Droves
by Dan Ariola
“We could have acted faster on Yolanda” said Pnoy as he apologized to a student while answering his question regarding the delayed flow of relief, further stating “I apologize if we couldn’t act even faster”. Whereas other efforts got bogged down by certain factors, Gawad Kalinga has pulled off theirs, all in stark comparison to not-so-successful ones.
— — Naturally, a near-uncontrollable influx of donations and relief goods, both from local and international donors, had to be handled by various NGOs and LGUs. For a deluge of this magnitude, it’s to be expected. Where even something as big as the government can admit its shortcomings, surely, smaller sectors and groups have had a far more difficult time executing their own efforts. With almost no sign of relief days after the catastrophe, the affected areas were gradually wasting away(sometimes literally), unintentionally making them think they’re waiting for nothing. While it is understandable that most efforts were impeded by inaccessible roads and overwhelmed by the sheer destruction left in Yolanda’s wake, with the amount of resources at their disposal, particularly the administration, they could have done something about it, or at least provided a temporary cast to a battered, brutally broken limb. Alas, on the horizon loomed a familiar, yet inviting, entity – Gawad Kalinga.
— — Gawad Kalinga, literally meaning ‘to provide care’, wasted no time in living up to its name. November 9, a day after Yolanda’s exit, Jerome Paler, a doctor and the head of GK Southern Leyte, took charge and led the volunteers, a few weeks after providing relief to the victims of the 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Bohol. Such is the heroism of the seemingly tireless GK volunteers. Working like machines, the volunteers took to Ormoc as it was the most accessible area at that time. Next up on their itinerary were cities and towns of Tacloban, Palo, Alang-Alang and MacArthur.
— — Leaving a trail of hope, the GK volunteers had no plans of slowing down. Days after Yolanda’s landfall and exit, GK mobilized 1,000 volunteers. Less than 20 days after the typhoon hit Visayas, particularly the eastern region, Gawad Kalinga had already amassed more than 100,000 food packs. Two weeks after, this figure grew to 200,000. It only grew from that point onwards.
An excerpt from Gawad Kalinga’s online report:
PWe have also identified and/or secured ~11,671 home lots in 57 towns in 9 provinces. These are in safe zones where we can construct homes and relocate families permanently. With land availability as the single, most complex bottleneck for many reconstruction timelines (not only GK’s), our “land banking” strategy has allowed us to not only build homes faster, but also ensure that the future residents are organized into empowered communities with values formation. (http://gk1world.com/typhoon-yolanda)
— — Along with GK’s immediate response through the form of relief goods are one of its trademarked long-term, tier 2 efforts—house reconstruction/repair. This double-edged formula of theirs, by and by, would always find its way right in the heart of the disaster-struck citizens. Seven months after the tempest’s display of fury, Gawad Kalinga has built more than 1,500 houses. This compared to other grpups and NGOs’ 1,000 or less, while no less heroic, simply underscored how GK’s efforts stood out. All this will ultimately build up to their goal of 20,000 houses in three years, starting Jan 2014 ‘til December 2016. A rehabilitation of a house costs P25,000 per unit while a construction of a new one costs P125,000. Thanks in large part to GK’s Bayani Challenge that ran from April 9 to June 12, 2014. This program mobilized over one million volunteers for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the victims’ houses. Go figure. Apart from houses, the volunteers also repaired schools, boats, and planted trees and mangroves.
— — GK’s success can largely be attributed to their innate ability to inspire volunteers and awaken the spirit of bayanihan among Filipinos. Bohol alone had over a million volunteers through the Bayani Challenge. These abilities have also garnered a plethora of donations of all sorts. A fine example of which is the P1 Million donation by Kumon, a Japanese association of education and research, or Grolier’s donation of books worth P8.6M. Needless to say, GK had no shortage of support.
— — Much has passed since the strongest typhoon to date hit the country. Nine months into the aftermath, the ramifications of a cyclone unlike any other can still be felt. The ruckus may have died down significantly, but if one were to snoop around Internet articles and periodicals(latest ones), snippets of one of the darkest days gone by pop up occasionally. If GK were to keep up its current pace, it won’t be long before their efforts will be recognized by all within the country, or even the world out. It matters not how great the effort, because in the end, people will still be looking for numbers as proof. And one need not look further than their current figures. With NGOs like GK blazing the trail, it’s not that farfetched for us to virtually see none of these occasional, bitter reminders. Gawad Kalinga’s here to stay and provide care, for time eternal.
Photos used by order:
http://m5.paperblog.com/i/72/721104/help-and-pray-for-the-philippines-L-n2FpLO.jpeg
http://31.media.tumblr.com/e1993ca5ab52a5f984d53ce58f2ba4e1/tumblr_muuwzt98Ny1qco8yyo1_500.jpg
