By David Zarraga | Gawad Kalinga Boston project coordinator
In July of 2015, Gawad Kalinga USA (GK) received a $100,000 grant from the TripAdvisor Charitable Foundation, with $70,000 of this grant going to fund the building of 20 homes for the homeless in the Philippines.
In November of 2015, Gawad Kalinga identified the GK Ark of Noah community in Bocaue, Bulacan Province as the beneficiary of these 20 homes. GK Ark of Noah is a community of 78 families relocated from shelters along the railroad tracks of Bocaue who organized themselves under GK's guidance in 2006 into a cohesive, productive village of temporary homes in Barangay Taal, Bocaue. Gawad Kalinga's Boston chapter has adopted GK Ark of Noah as its partner in building homes for all 78 families and providing a path towards sustainable development.
The TripAdvisor Charitable Foundation's grant represented the first investment in the good people of Ark of Noah, but it was not the last. The grant was a catalyst for further donations collected by Gawad Kalinga Boston. We then launched a GlobalGiving project in December 2015 to drive further donations towards our goal of $60,000 to fund another 20 homes at GK Ark of Noah. As of today, the GlobalGiving project has raised $1,520 in donations, which equates to about half a home for a family at Ark of Noah.
The greater fundraising effort by Gawad Kalinga Boston, however, has now generated $32,000 in donations, $28,800 of which has been remitted to Gawad Kalinga Philippines. The funds were used by GK volunteers and residents of GK Ark of Noah to build 8 homes and refurbish 2 existing living structures at Ark of Noah. These 10 homes will be turned over to their proud owners on April 23, 2016. Representatives from GK Boston will be on hand to meet the villagers and witness this inspiring moment.
GK Boston is continuing its fundraising activities to complete the building of 10 more homes by October 2016. We are targeting funding another 38 homes from November 2016 to October 2017.
In the meantime, GK Boston will begin working with GK Ark of Noah to identify critical needs in community health. A contingent of community health interns from the University of Massachusetts Family Medicine program, funded in part by the TripAdvisor grant, will be immersing themselves over a 6-week period with the residents of Ark of Noah in June of 2016 just for this purpose. Two University of Massachusetts undergrads will join the team to conduct a socio-economic survey to identify economic opportunities that Ark of Noah, with the help of entrepreneurs to be identified by GK Boston, can leverage towards their sustainable development.
With GK Boston's fundraising efforts, together with our planned efforts to support the Ark of Noah community in its health and socio-economic needs, we hope to help GK Ark of Noah along the path of development so that the 78 families may finally emerge from poverty towards the life of dignity and empowerment that they deserve.
Thank you for your continued support!
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