Covid19 Relief Fund for Families in Philippines

“It has been difficult because we haven’t been able to eat on time. We wait for people who are giving meals so we can have food to eat. It has been hard. I used to be a street sweeper but because of the pandemic, my job was affected. My husband takes whatever job he can even if it’s just P150 ($3) a day just so he can provide for our kids.”- Irma, Mother and a  Beneficiary at Sitio Dumpsite Antipolo

This report from the field paints a picture of just how families in poor communities in the Philippines now are left to struggle on their own to deal with unemployment and putting food on the table for their children.  Metro Manila and Central Luzon were considered as the epicenter of the Covid19 outbreaks and sadly our country continues to struggle in containing the spread of local transmission of the virus. As of this writing, the Philippines remains to have the 2nd highest number of cases in Southeast Asia with now 398,449 reported cases and still an upward trend in both the number of cases and the number of deaths. (https://www.csis.org/programs/southeast-asia-program/southeast-asia-covid-19-tracker-0)

As we are still dealing with food security brought about by the Pandemic, last November 1, a strong typhoon hit the Philippines bringing strong winds, flood, and devastation mostly in the Bicol and Southern Tagalog regions. “Only our floor remained” -said a  resident. With the threat of COVID-19 still remaining and many livelihoods destroyed by the typhoon, hunger is bound to rise again.

And so here we are providing you the update from our country and once again appealing for much-needed help to bring food security to thousands of affected families and their children, who like Irma haven’t been able to eat on time,  and “waits for people” who can give them meals so that they and their children can eat.  From this Covid19 Relief Fund, we have so far served over 18,000 healthy meals. We VALUE your contribution to this effort and seek your help as we continue to assist thousands of families during this unprecedented crisis until they are back on their feet. 

In our Sitio Dumpsite community, we asked some mothers how they have been during this pandemic, and here are their answers:

Aida: “My husband and I collect recyclable trash and sell it to junk shops to provide for our daily needs. My husband used to be a construction worker, but now he can’t go to work because he needs to submit several requirements. Requirements that we don’t have the capacity to provide for right now.”  

Jenny: “It has been hard. Almost every day we don’t have rice to cook, sometimes we do have but it is not enough, and sometimes I go to my father to ask for rice. Before the pandemic, I used to sell candles by the church. My husband also used to have regular work but now he takes side jobs whenever he has friends he can work for. He used to earn P400 ($8) a day but now he only earns P200 ($4).”

When we asked them how the feeding programs have been of help for them this is what the mothers said :

“It has really been of great help for the needs of the children. They are able to eat delicious food.” -Aida. 

“It is helping us because sometimes the kids are not able to eat.” Irma said, “For me, the feeding means a lot for my kids. They’re able to get by for one meal because of the feedings.”-Jenny 

Again, on behalf of all the beneficiaries, a BIG THANK YOU for partnering with us in this cause. Please consider sharing this initiative with your friends so we can extend help to more families.   Sharing some smiles brought by the meals you provided, hope it brings inspiration and encouragement to you all  :)

We started our relief operations in the first week of May. We are glad to report to you that, from then to now, we have served a total of 9,591 meals.

Through generous donors and volunteer efforts, we were able to distribute food to families and children who gratefully received the much-needed help. To maximize the impact, we decided to combine funds from our Covid19 Relief Funds, our #ProjectBaon Fundraisers, and other donations. These are what we have achieved so far:

Because of the COVID-19 situation, it is not advisable to gather people and kids to feed them, so we now pack the meals in paper containers and bring them personally to the homes of the children!

We were able to serve 4 locations and these are:

Brgy. Bagumbayan and Libis, Quezon City. Here we serve meals to 130 kids at least twice a week. We partnered with a local church in these communities to identify the children who will benefit the most from the meals we provide. The parents of these kids are unable to work because of COVID-19.

Sitio Dumpsite, Antipolo City. This community rests on top of an old landfill, thus the name. The common livelihood of people here is collecting scraps and recyclable materials to sell to junkshops. Here we feed more than 200 kids at least twice a day.

Brgy. San Jose, Antipolo City. We served meals to 100 kids in this poor community twice in May.

Brgy. Kamuning, Quezon City. Instead of serving cooked meals, we opted to distribute food packs to families in this large community to maintain order. These food packs consist of rice and meat enough for ten meals. We have distributed food packs to 234 families three times now.

In summary, we have fed 460 children, reached 230 families, and served 9,561 meals.

In the morning of July 1, we launched two more feeding programs! These are in Brgy. Tarece, Pangasinan, and Floodway, Cainta. We will be serving an additional 150 kids in these areas.

“I see happiness in my kids whenever we receive meals from you,” says Lilian, a mother of five.

The father of her children is in jail. Lilian had him imprisoned because of his drug habit. “Even if it means my having to raise the children alone, I’d rather see him behind bars,” she says.

Before the quarantine, she made a living by peddling Sampaguita flowers along Katipunan Avenue and sometimes by cleaning condo units at Eastwood City.  

Since the lockdown began, she and her children have been forced to stay in their small house beside the river in Brgy. Bagumbayan, Quezon City. She has no way to earn a living, no means of providing food for her children.

“I don’t know how to provide for them especially now that I can’t work because of COVID-19 lockdown. This is a huge help for a single mom like me.”

It is ROFP’s mission to serve meals that will not only satisfy hunger but will also nourish the children’s bodies. We want to stay true to this mission despite our situation now so we serve meals that has meat and vegetable in it and whenever available, some fruit as well.

Thank you very much for your support! All these would not be possible without your donation. Despite the easing of quarantine regulations nationwide, our people still encounter problems from day-to-day — COVID-19 cases continue to rise, businesses close because of bankruptcy, people lose their jobs. In all of these poor families are badly hit the most. Please continue to help us and share this with your friends so we can feed more children and give their families one less meal to worry about.

Thank you and stay safe!