Thursday, May 22, 2014

Community Garden (Tacloban City)

In November 2013, typhoon Haiyan considered as the strongest typhoon ever recorded, devastated southern Philippines particularly the province of Leyte. It was acknowledged to have cost the lives of some 8,000 people, although ground workers claim the death toll to be around 20-25,000.
The tragedy multiplied several times when the national government turned its back on the area as it was left to recover on its own despite the downpour of foreign aid.
Six months after the calamity, Bituen volunteers visited the area to establish that aside from temporary bunkhouses, Red Cross and the distribution of relief goods by DSWD are the only signs of national government presence in the province.
 Leyte 6 months after typhoon Haiyan.
 Mass grave in Palo Leyte where hundreds of cadavers were piled up on top of another.
Through the initial help of FaceBook group pages Education is our Tool, Controlled Salpukan Zone, Gising na Pilipinas, and Gising na Pinoy, Bituen volunteers visited Leyte to distribute books from Read Philippines and Migrante British Columbia, bags and raincoats from the said FB groups. A series of forums and workshops on Sustainability integrating it to waste management at grassroots level were also conducted. Instead of the Container Gardening part of the workshop, a Community Garden was instead re-established during the visit to help the victims get up off their feet again. #52 Magallanes, a community of informal settlers near the coast was chosen for this project. This community garden will be under the Sustainability 101 program of Bituen.

Bituen priority programs are: Reading Caravan (books distribution to marginalized children), Sustainability 101 (forum & workshop integrating 3Rs with sustainable lifestyle), and Talent workshop for marginalized youths. Everybody is encouraged to contribute to this program through the Paypal donation button.

For Philippine donors, cash donation may be submitted through:
1. Bank of Commerce, Savings Account: BITUEN - 035-20-004471-0 or 
2. Banco de Oro (Payments- Smart Money) CARD number: 5299-6737-0016-6104

In-kind donations of:
* seedlings (vegetable, fruit trees, ornamental plants)
* gardening tools
* kubo materials (labig, bamboo, wood post, nails, cement, etc)
* carpentry tools (hammer, saw, planer, tape measure, utility knife, lay out square, chisel, clamp, power drill, screw drivers, trowels, etc)
may also be sent through:
Bituen Community Garden (Tacloban)
2109-B Col. Santos St., South Cembo, 
Makati City 1214 Philippnes

International Donors, please click here for Paypal donations.