Singapore-born regional humanitarian NGO Mercy Relief (MR) continues its aid to the affected communities of Storm Washi through a food and water programme. More than 1,000 people from 200 families from Barangay Consolacion in Cagayan de Oro are benefiting from the programme which is personally implemented by MR and its local NGO partners – the Citizens’ Disaster Response Centre (CDRC) and Panday Bulig (PB).
The S$12,000 5-day programme, comprising 500 packs of freshly cooked food and bottled waters daily, will run till the New Year’s Day. Working closely with the Barangay leaders, the food is prepared daily at a temporary central kitchen with the utensils and ingredients supplied by MR and its partners.
With limited community structures such as schools and churches to shelter the displaced victims, MR is procuring 200 sets of tarpaulin to be distributed to 200 affected families to help ease the overcrowding issue at the evacuation centres.
MR Chief Executive Hassan Ahmad said, “Due to the limitations on the ground, thousands of families are seeking shelter in severely congested living conditions, with limited access to basic survival needs such as food, water and proper sanitation. Already, our team on the ground has detected several cases of chicken pox amongst the communities, which if not quickly and properly addressed, will lead to a rapid outbreak. The tarpaulin sets would not only provide shelter to the affected families from the natural elements such as winds, rains and the sun, but it would also allow them to seek available ground spaces where they can pitch and locate themselves safely during this acute phase.”
MR had earlier deployed a 4-man relief team to Cagayan de Oro within 48 hours from the appeal for international assistance made by the Philippines government. Relief packs comprising food, water and personal hygiene essentials were distributed to 1,000 affected communities there. The three experienced NGO partners –MR, CDRC and PB –had previously worked together at many locations in the Philippines for the 2009 typhoon Ketsana emergency relief, reconstruction and disaster mitigation efforts.
To date, MR has expended nearly S$50,000 for the ongoing Washi relief efforts.
MR is currently conducting a fundraising in Singapore until 15 January 2012 to help support the ongoing relief efforts at the affected areas.
Local communities in Cagayan de Oro receiving their supply of drinking water. Each family is provided with 20 litres of bottled water which will be refilled daily
MR staff Laarni Salanga distributing packed cooked food to the displaced communities.
A smile that accompanies the freshly cooked rice and chicken.
A section of the central kitchen that prepares the food daily. The locals take turns to help out at the kitchen.
About Mercy Relief
Mercy Relief is a Singaporean humanitarian organisation which engages in both disaster relief and sustainable development programmes. It was established in 2003 as an independent non-governmental humanitarian charity responding to the human tragedies in Asia. Mercy Relief’s aid programme focuses on providing timely and effective assistance to disaster-stricken communities and has maintained the delivery of emergency aid within 72 hours from the point of appeal for assistance.
In the past 12 years, Mercy Relief has disbursed over S$32 million in aid across 40 disaster relief and 53 sustainable development initiatives. Mercy Relief has impacted an aggregate of 2 million lives in 24 countries and areas, namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, DPR Korea, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Palestine, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and Yemen.
For more information, you may call us at 6514 6322 or email corporateaffairs@mercyrelief.org
