Mary Grace Salina of Davao del Sur lost her home and almost lost her baby to the strong quake that shook several parts of Mindanao. Luckily, her brother-in-law saved her child and now she is one of the thousands of evacuees seeking temporarily shelter in a tent.
“It’s so difficult. We got so scared. We didn’t know what to do. (Sobrang hirap talaga. Takot na takot kami. Kasi ito (anak) maliit pa. Hindi namin alam kung ano ang gagawin namin),” she narrated while rocking her baby to sleep in an interview on “TV Patrol.”
Mary Grace is just one of the many displaced families who are enduring trauma, but remain hopeful as organizations like ABS-CBN Foundation Inc. (AFI) were quick to respond to their calls for help and immediately showered them with love and support.
As of November 18, 12,815 families in Cotabato and Davao Del Sur received immediate care through the relief operations spearheaded by AFI’s Sagip Kapamilya through the help of its donors, partners, and volunteers. Affected families living temporarily in tents got relief goods and food packs from AFI and hygiene kits from the Department of Health.
“We thank God because He saved our lives (pinapasalamatan namin ang Panginoon kasi ‘yung mga buhay namin na-save),” said evacuee Rosevilla Quidato, a pastor in CAMACOP Church.
Over 10,000 individuals also had a taste of warm, hearty meals that were served through a soup kitchen, while more than a thousand children were given psychological debriefing with the help of the Department of Psychology of Ateneo de Davao University so they can recover from the shock and anxiety brought by the disaster they experienced. Storytelling, games, magic tricks, and other activities were also conducted for the kids, while almost 500 were also assisted in the medical mission.
Meanwhile, “It’s Showtime” host Vice Ganda also showed generosity by donating over 2,000 hygiene kits and blankets that are currently being repacked in the Sagip Kapamilya Warehouse. Through these efforts and acts of kindness and generosity, they were able to make the affected families feel that they are not forgotten, and that they have a family ready to help them in this difficult time in their lives.
Sagip Kapamilya, now on its 15
th year as the emergency and humanitarian arm of the ABS-CBN Foundation, is still accepting in-kind donations (blankets, easy-to-open canned goods, hygiene kits, tarps, and rice). Interested individuals may drop their donations to the Sagip Kapamilya Warehouse located at #13 Examiner St., West Triangle, Quezon City. Cash donations are also accepted via Sagip Kapamilya’s bank accounts –BDO (Peso Account No.: 393-011-4199; Dollar Account No.: 39300-81622), BPI (305-111-2775), and Metrobank (636-3-636-08808-1).
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