Club Filipina, based at Wellesley College, may be nearly 10,000 miles away from our beloved home country, but the devastating Super Typhoon Haiyan, code name Yolanda, has managed to affect our daily lives. Several family members and close friends of our club members currently reside in Visayas, the central region of the Philippines, which was most traumatized by this storm. As one of the strongest storms ever to hit this planet, Haiyan mercilessly ravaged some of the poorest regions of the Philippines. In the span of a few short hours, hundreds of thousands of Filipinos lost their homes and possessions. Current estimates place the death toll due to Haiyan at 10,000 people.
At this point in time, the 9.5 million affected Filipinos need immediate assistance. Necessary supplies for survival, such as water, medicine, and food, have been depleted from last month’s 7.1 magnitude earthquake. People have resorted to looting closed supermarkets in hopes of providing food for themselves and for their families. Flights departing from these completely destroyed cities and towns have been scarce, and many require further medical assistance unavailable at defaced local hospitals.
How can we help from halfway around the world? Many organizations have already established funds that will directly benefit those most affected by Haiyan. All funds raised by Club Filipina through this indiegogo page will be donated to WomanHealth Philippines and University of the Philippines, Inc., two well-known organizations that aim to help those most in need and that are supported by two Wellesley professors, Dulce Natividad and Alex Orquiza.
Thank you so much for your kind support! If you are unable to support us and typhoon victims financially, we would greatly appreciate your spreading the word about this cause, which means so much to all of us, by word of mouth or on social media. We will keep you updated as our campaign continues! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at clubfilipina.wellesley@gmail.com. You can also follow as on Twitter.