Executive Summary

We're building boats and donating them to fishermen whose boats and homes were destroyed by Typhoon Haiyan.  In return, the fishermen agree to pay back a small amount each day, and that money will go towards protecting the environment and ensuring the long-term viability of the program.  Perhaps best of all, we will match every dollar donated up to $25,000.  So your dollars go a long way when you donate to Bangka Relief!  And if you donate $500 or more, you get to name a boat!

Here's a picture of the boats we build and the fishermen we help.

What We're Doing and Who We Are

This is us.

We're Bangka Relief, an organization of Filipinos, Americans, and world citizens.  Bangka Relief is partnering with GL Advisors and the Daniel & Francine Scinto Foundation to help Filipinos in Tacloban who were devastated by Typhoon Haiyan.  The storm's ferocity was unlike any other in recorded history, and it hit some of the world's most vulnerable people.

In the wake of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda), many relief organizations have helped with the immediate necessities: food, water, and shelter.  But increasingly the need is to assist survivors, who have lost virtually everything, by restoring their ability to support themselves and their families.  In the case of fishermen and women, that starts with providing them with boats to replace those lost in the typhoon so they may return to the livelihood they have relied on for generations.  As the saying goes, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

That's where we (and, most importantly, you) come in!

What We Need & What You Get

We at Bangka Relief have set up a system to help Tacloban rebuild.  Below is a photo of what used to be a dock for the fishing boats of Barangay 88, a neighborhood in Tacloban which lost 1,000 residents to Typhoon Haiyan.

Without boats, these fishermen can't get back to work.  That means they have no way to support themselves or their families, so they've been relying almost exclusively on food relief and other forms of aid.  To solve this problem, we're building boats using local carpenters.

But here's what makes our program special: It's sustainable.

We've partnered with a local Fisherman's Association to help manage the program.  Every recipient of a boat has to join the Association, which has the following effects:

1.) Each fisherman pays back a small fee (about $0.50 per day) to the Association in return for the boat.

2.) Part of the $0.50 supports two different insurance funds: health insurance for the fishermen and their families, and emergency insurance in case the boats are damaged or destroyed again.  This insures that we won´t have to ask for your help after the next typhoon.

3.)  Part of the $0.50 repayment helps create  a Coast Guard that establishes and safeguards a Marine Protected Area.  The Guard will also prevent dynamite fishing, cyanide fishing, and any other environmentally damaging practices.

This is the Single Most Efficient Use of Your Non-Profit Dollar

We really mean that.  There are a lot of great charities out there.  But we honestly think Bangka Relief is uniquely deserving of your charitable donation.  Here's why:

1.) Bangka Relief is 100% sustainable, both environmentally and economically.  Recipients of the boats agree to join the Barangay 88 Fisherman's Association.  That means each recipient agrees to pay back a small fee for each day they fish.  This money goes to a Fisherman's Association, which uses the money to police a Marine Protected Area to prevent overfishing, as well as prevent dynamite fishing and other environmentally damaging practices.  In addition, the Association can recycle the money to build more boats and expand.  The result is a self-perpetuating Association for ecologically sound economic development.  Now that's efficient!

2.) Every dollar you donate will double!  Through the generosity of private donors, we will match every dollar donated up to $25,000.  That means you can double your impact right off the bat!

3.) 100% of each dollar goes directly to fishermen.  The Daniel & Francine Scinto Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3), and their partners GL Advisors have agreed to cover all administrative costs.  So your contribution (which is tax deductible thanks to the DFS Foundation) goes directly to the recipients, not to overhead.

So your contribution will double, then go directly to helping people recover from disaster, in an economically and environmentally sustainable way.  That's a great deal.

Other Ways You Can Help

• Get the word out!  Share and like us on Indiegogo and on facebook!  Tell your friends about us!  They'll think you're cool, we promise.

Thank you very much for your consideration and for your support.  The imperiled fishermen of Barangay 88 and their families will be forever grateful for any and all assistance.  Your contribution is a way to help people help themselves, but perhaps more importantly, it is very real step forward in making the world a better place.