Earth Hour aims to deliver 600 fiberglass boats to Yolanda-hit fishermen

MANILA, Philippines - Earth Hour Philippines and the World Wide Fund for Nature - Philippines (WWF-Philippines) has launched a campaign to deliver 600 fiberglass fishing boats to fishing communities in Palawan and Leyte that were hit by supertyphoon Yolanda.

WWF-Philippines vice chairman and CEO Jose Ma. Lorenzo Tan said the "Bancas for the Philippines" project is one of the crowd-funding projects being pushed by Earth Hour.

Earth Hour, which started in Sydney, Australia in 2007 and organized by the WWF, has reinvented itself from just being the largest voluntary action for the environment, into a crowd-funding platform for environmental initiatives while still celebrating climate change solutions through s global 60 minute switch-off.

For this year, Earth Hour will commence on March 29 from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm.

"Climate change is here, now. There will be many more Yolandas. It is time to think and act beyond relief. By enhancing the traditional banca design and providing fisherfolk with the resources to build new boats, we will minimize our growing dependence on local and foreign aid," said Tan.

Tan said that through the support of donors, the project intends to introduce fiberglass boat-making technology to restore food security, increase climate resilience by reducing boat construction time, and reduce current reliance on hardwoods for banca construction.

He said that through the support of donors and partners in the fiberglass making industry, the project intends to provide raw materials, boat moulds and training to selected fishing communities.

Tan said as many as 145,000 bancas are needed by fishermen in the areas hit by Yolanda.

The boats will be made by the fishermen themselves using the moulds and raw materials which will be distributed in the form of kits. One mould could last up to 20 bancas with a banca to be produced per day.

To make sure that no overfishing will happen, fiberglass boats will not exceed 20 feet in length and will only be powered by paddles or sails. Earth Hour intends to raise $24,000 to build 60 fiberglass bancas by mid-April, Tan said. The project will be completed this coming June.

"We invite corporations and individuals to support Bancas for the Philippines via the Earth Hour crowd funding platform. Through your help, we can help Yolanda-hit areas prepare for rougher seas brought about by climate change. Together, let us keep hope afloat," said Tan.

The Bancas for the Philippines donation page can be accessed at http://ehour.me/BANCAS