This article was originally published in Dec 2011 in response to a Massive Typhoon that hit The Philippine Islands. Thank you to everyone that donated in support of the disaster. I have since decided to keep this post as a stand alone page to continue to bring awareness. The Philippines gets several typhoons a year with massive devastation. The resulting destruction always impacts those with the least amount of means to cope. I hope you will continue to support this worthy project. Thank you again.
I love traveling in Asia and especially the Philippines so when I heard about the latest typhoon to hit the country i decided to do something. Typhoon Washi hit the Northern Island of Mindanao in The Philippines on December 17th and devastated the area. Reports are that over 650 people were killed; hundreds more missing and thousands have been left homeless. In the city of Cagayan de Oro alone over 300 people were killed by flood waters. The Philippines is regularly hit by Typhoons which usually claim numerous lives and result in major damage. There have been several this year that have claimed hundreds of lives and done millions in damage.
If this were to happen in the Western world there would be hundreds of millions in aid rushing to the scene and a well-oiled disaster recovery system to respond. Unfortunately that is not the case in The Philippines. The government does all it can but still needs assistance. That is why The Traveling Fool has teamed up with Save The Children Foundation http://www.savethechildren.org .
Save The Children works in over 120 countries and is regarded as one of the best run charities and had won numerous awards for the work they do. One of the ways to judge a charity is how much of your donation actually goes to providing services. Save The Children has an excellent record with 90 percent of donated money going towards programs, 6 percent for fundraising and 4 percent for management.
Save The Children has a fund specifically for The Philippines
The money you donate will go directly to this effort and will help in providing food, clothing, shelter and safety for the children and their families that in some cases have lost everything they have.
I contacted several news organizations for photos since I did not want to spend $40.00 per photo from the API, I preferred the money go towards donations instead. Unfortunately none responded so here is a link where you can see some of the damage. Even as little as $5.00 will help.
During this holiday season as we buy gifts for friends and family do me a favor and donate a small amount to this worthy cause. The food clothing and shelter resulting from your donation will help to alleviate a little pain and loss that so many have experienced.
Pearson Airport Limo says
i also want to do something for them. Good that you have shared your thoughts with us.
Pearson Airport Limo
thetravellingfool says
Thanks for the support I know it is appreciated
Cristina Dimen says
Thanks for posting this, and for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment.
As a Filipino, I appreciate your post and am glad you’ve helped create awareness for this effort via Save the Children, specific to the Philippines. I’m also working on a similar post for other charities geared towards the typhoon victims. It’s also good to know that 90% of the funds raised via Save the Children go towards the intended program or project.
Wishing you the best for 2012.
thetravellingfool says
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Anything we can do to get the word out helps.