After Typhoon Odette, many people in the Philippines were left without food and shelter. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, over 181,000 families were impacted by Odette. While the Social Welfare Department said, over 480,000 people are seeking refuge in evacuation centers, and 1.8 million Filipinos are “affected” by Odette’s effects.
Some individuals want to assist by giving cash, while others have concerns regarding the best way to give safely. Let this article provide you with a list of safety tips for donors when helping those in need. We still need to stay vigilant and protect our safety even in times like these. In addition, the article will also provide a list of organizations that are currently having donation drives where you may volunteer and donate.
Things to Lookout For Before Sending Donations
- Ensure that the organization you want to donate to is legitimate and not a scam. There are many ways to check this, including looking up their name in Google or calling them directly for more information. If you’re not sure about a charity, then do some research online or ask friends and family who have previously donated to that particular charity.
- Be wary when making donations online since scammers can easily set up fake websites with similar names and logos to real charities running scams on unsuspecting victims who only wanted to help those in need.
- Avoid donating goods like clothes, food, or medicine unless you know that the charity is set up to accept them. It can be challenging to get these items to those who need them the most, and they might end up going bad before they reach their destination.
In response to the devastation caused by the storm, many organizations have started fundraising efforts to assist those affected. Relief goods such as medicines, water, canned food, old clothing, toiletries, rice, hygiene kits, and blankets are being requested by NGOs. In addition, school supplies and cash donations for the victims are also being asked by some groups.
Donation Drivers for Typhoon Odette Victims
Here is a list of some donation drives and initiatives we have compiled to send your relief goods or monetary support donations safely:
1. Ayala Foundation
The foundation is now accepting cash donations mainly from GCash and BPI to support and help the communities affected.
For more information, you may check here.
2. Caritas Manila
Caritas created “Caritas Manila Pasko AYUDA 2021 Typhoon Odette Relief and Rehabilitation Program”. As of December 20, they were able to collect 7, 610, 484.19 PHP worth of donations.
For more information, you may check here.
3. LeniKiko2022 Volunteer Center
The Vice President and Senator of the Philippines, Leni Robredo, and Kiko Pangilinan have both announced that they will take in-kind donations and monetary assistance. The urgent relief goods that they need are:
- Blankets
- Hygiene items (e.g shampoo, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, and sanitary napkins)
- Bottle water
- Face masks
- Alcohol (in 250 or 500ml)
- Rice
- Ready to eat food
For more information, you may check here.
4. Ateneo de Manila University
The Ateneo de Manila University initiated a donation driver that aims to provide food for communities affected by typhoon Odette.
For more information, you may check here.
5. Landers Superstore
For those affected by Typhoon Odette, Lander’s Superstore is taking in-kind donations.
For more information, you may check here.
Aftermath of Typhoon Odette
It’s been a week since Typhoon Odette barreled through the islands of Visayas and Mindanao, and while things are slowly getting back to normal, there are still some lingering effects from the storm. One of those is the delay of business deliveries across the country. This is especially problematic for small businesses that were just starting to get back on their feet before Typhoon Odette hit.
Now, recovery is going to be delayed even more as their supplies are being held up. One of the most important aspects of recovering from this disaster is giving help to those who need it the most. This means that we need to focus on donation deliveries above all else. Unfortunately, there have been some delays in getting donations to the people who need them. This is due to the widespread damage caused by typhoon Odette and the lack of infrastructure in many parts of the country. However, we cannot let these delays stop us from helping those who are in need.
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