THANK YOU V-Day Activists for Helping the Philippines - Together, We've Raised $203,655 So Far!
11/22/2013
In a little over a week, you, our incredible V-Activists, have raised over $203,655 for the V-Fund for the Philippines. Your donations are already making an impact, with the first caravan of relief goods including food, sanitary napkins, underwear, diapers, baby formula, and medicines currently on their way to 20,000 families. Below is an update from One Billion Rising Director Monique Wilson, as well as a letter from our partners on the ground, GABRIELA and Gabriela Women's Party. We wanted to share this with all of you. All your generosity and support helped make this possible.
UPDATE: Lingap Gabriela, BALSA Starts Yolanda/Haiyan Mission Trek for Eastern Visayas, Philippines
Gabriela Women's Party Rep. Emmi De Jesus yesterday joined the BALSA multi-sectoral disaster aid caravan that left Manila on November 21st on a rough road trip to deliver at least a dozen trucks loaded with relief packs, hope and solidarity to communities in the Eastern Visayas waylaid by the super typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan.
The women's rights solon heads the LINGAP ("aid") GABRIELA team, composed of 30 urban poor leaders and women health care workers who toiled the past few nights in bundling up "Mother and Child Relief Packs" containing underwear, sanitary napkins and VAW (Violence Against Women) educational flyers, aside from over 20,000 family packs with standard relief items containing food provisions for 3 days. The fliers, written in Tagalog and Waray languages, provided instructions for women to defend themselves from gender violence in situations where they are vulnerable.
De Jesus added that she wants to zero in on the reported incidences of violence against women and children and the rising risks to human trafficking especially in the totally devastated areas of Samar and Leyte where poverty translates into lawlessness and criminality. "The Gabriela center for women's services is not only wrecked. Our staff went to Tacloban and surrounding towns last week and reported they lost their hospitals, clinics, and schools, which makes women so vulnerable and all the more without access to health services," De Jesus explained.
To help the public follow their progress, the organizers put up the Twitter hashtag #TabangEV where they post pictures and stories of updates, as well as action bulletins for donors and volunteers.
DONATE to the V-Fund for the Philippines (all donations will be matched) >
Letter From GABRIELA & Gabriela Women's Party
Dear V-Day and One Billion Rising sisters and brothers,
In behalf of the women and children of the typhoon-affected provinces of the Philippines, we thank you for your kind help and donations.
Lingap Gabriela and our relief partner, Bayanihan Alay sa Sambayanan (BALSA) is set to leave tomorrow for the national relief mission to Eastern Visayas.
Along with 20,000 family relief packs containing food provisions for 3 days, we will also be distributing mother and child relief packs to help ease the suffering and particularly address the urgent needs of women and children affected by Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan.
The Lingap Gabriela delegation will also be looking into the condition of women and children especially amid reports of rape and violence against women and children in the area. Psycho-social first aid sessions will also be conducted to help victims, especially children, cope with the trauma.
We are gearing up for more relief and service missions in the coming weeks to address the needs of other areas affected by the typhoon.
Once more, our heartfelt gratitude.
Sincerely,
Joms Salvador
Secretary General, GABRIELA Alliance of Filipino Women
Lana Linaban
Secretary General, Gabriela Women's Party
DONATE to the V-Fund for the Philippines (all donations will be matched) >
WATCH First relief caravan kicks off from Quezon City >
One Billion Rising For Justice Philippines - UPCOMING EVENTS!
Upcoming One Billion Rising for Justice events in the Philippines include:
- THE STATE OF FEMALE JUSTICE IN THE PHILIPPINES As part of the launch of One Billion Rising for Justice Philippines, Gabriela, Gabriela Women's Party and the New Voice Company will be presenting THE STATE OF FEMALE JUSTICE IN THE PHILIPPINES with the theme – "WOMEN RISING AFTER DESTRUCTION." After a natural and man-made disaster, communities face hunger, illness, displacement, trauma and death, but women and children face particular risks from sexual violence and trafficking. The event will explore the deeper causes and consequences of environmental and social injustice, and the specific impact on women, and will also highlight how our incredible community women are re-building, organizing and Rising after the destruction of typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan. At the end of the panel there will be a sharing of the report from our Gabriela Women's Mission/Caravan to the devastated areas. The event will culminate with a memorial/solidarity OBR action for the survivors and victims of the storm, led by the Gabriela community women.
- "RISE FOR JUSTICE" AT THE PHILIPPINE CONGRESS "Rise for Justice" Exhibit - a photo exhibit that will highlight the cases of violence against women in children (VAWC) and the actions taken by the different municipalities to fight violence against women. Support will be gathered from Legislators and Local Government officials to address VAW through concrete programs at the national and local level. The event, which will take place at the North Wing Lobby of the Philippine House of Congress, is an initiative of Gabriela Women's Party, the House of Representatives Committee on Women and Gender Equality and the Association of Women Legislators Foundation, Inc. It is in commemoration of November 25: National Consciousness Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Children and will launch the "RISE FOR JUSTICE" campaign of Gabriela Women's Party. The event will also highlight the vulnerability of women and children to violence during a calamity situation.