MORE than a month after Typhoon Odette devastated the Visayas region, the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (Rafi) has been working closely with the affected communities to alleviate the typhoon’s disastrous impact.
To know the actual situation on the ground, Rafi deployed teams to conduct rapid assessment and validation and has been implementing a phased approach to its humanitarian relief operation plans to aid those affected by the typhoon.
Over the course of Phase 1, the “Emergency Relief Phase,” Rafi lent 34 generator sets to water refilling stations, distributed 279,580 liters of water, and provided 143,866 relief packs to thousands of families in Cebu, Bohol, Negros Occidental, and Southern Leyte.
Apart from relief goods, Rafi also conducted psychosocial initiatives to help the young survivors of Odette cope with trauma sustained during the ordeal.
Rafi will soon transition its efforts toward the Recovery and Rehabilitation phases by February with the untiring support of its partners from individuals to private corporations, government agencies and international non-government organizations (NGOs).
Rafi has so far raised P37 million in cash and pledges from individual donors and organizations, and has spent P84 million for its emergency relief operations. The foundation’s counterpart runs at P46 million to date.
Rachel Labial, a resident of Sitio Utnay, Upper Tingob, Mandaue, is grateful to Rafi for assisting them in their time of extreme need.
“Dako na gyud kaayo ni siyang tabang (Rafi relief packs) sa amoang mga kasilinganan. A big help gyud kay as of now lisud gyud. Ang uban bag-o pa nagpa-repair sa balay unya murag hurot-hurot gyud. Wala gyuy nasalbar (Rafi relief packs were a big help to our community. We are having a hard time recovering. Most of us just finished repairing our houses and have nothing left [to use to buy food),” she said.
Indeed, it’s a long journey to full rehabilitation. Rafi continues to accept donations and partnerships from the community. Its Donation Hub is open for donations and support from local and international organizations, as well as from individual donors.
Donations will be used for the provision of immediate relief for affected families and communities.
Interested partners can contact Rafi through their email address eoc@rafi.ph or through the following numbers: (032) 265-5914 (landline); 0917-633-2936 and 0933-879-2966 (mobile). (PR)