Christmas and the #YolandaPH Victims (Part 1}: Give Gifts That Give Life

This whole month of December, I will be dedicating all my weekly posts to the victims of Yolanda, and highlighting different ways that we can help in relief efforts, big and small. It is my hope and prayer that by doing so at least one person, one family's life will be changed somehow.

It has been about a month since Super typhoon Yolanda (International name Haiyan) battered a major portion of the Philippines, leaving thousands dead and affecting millions of people across 30 plus provinces. Aid has been pouring out from all over the world, and we Filipinos are truly grateful for the support, prayers and relief that our affected countrymen have been receiving. We have also been doing our own part to help in relief efforts, and I'm pretty sure you who are reading this have your own story to tell.

Still, we know that our brothers and sisters who lost everything when Yolanda hit will have a long, long road to recovery and rebuilding.

While many of us will be spending Christmas in the comfort of our own homes, many will be doing so without a proper roof over their heads.

While many of us will be stuffing ourselves with delicious delicacies during Noche Buena, many will be thankful to eat whatever is given to them with their relief packs.

While many of us will be enjoying holiday reunions with family members and friends, many will be mourning, remembering loved ones who perished because of Yolanda's "wrath."

Indeed, it will be a sad, sad Christmas for many Filipinos, especially those who have been directly affected by Typhoon Yolanda. But we can still make a difference in the Yolanda victims' lives by choosing to gifts that "give life." I've been looking at different posts on my social media feeds and have found several ways we can give "gifts" that "give life." Here are a few of them:

1. Sponsor "Shelter-In-A-Box" sets.

I saw a Facebook post from grief counselor and educator Cathy Babao that describes what a "Shelter-In-A-Box" is; below is a screenshot of that post:

Once I saw it, I realized that this was actually a very "doable" thing for many of us, especially if we pool our resources together with those of family members, friends, officemates, etc. Surely, by banding together, we will be able to help provide shelter for many of our kababayans. This would be a great alternative to the usual gift-giving that we do among family members and friends at Christmastime.

2. Make Yolanda kids happy by donating toys, books and art supplies.

There are lots of groups, organizations and businesses that are collecting new and pre-loved toys and books for the children who have been affected by Typhoon Yolanda. Others are also asking for donations of school and art supplies.

I personally know of two moms who are calling for donations. One of them, Iris Pulga, has relatives from Leyte. She is organizing a Christmas gift drive for the Yolanda survivors housed in Rosario, Cavite.



Iris is accepting gifts in the form of toys and books (new or pre-loved) and items that can be included in the kids’ loot bags. If you are interested in donating, please contact her at 0927-8615008 or email iris_rebao@hotmail.com. You may also drop off your donations at The Medela House, 29, 1st Avenue, New Manila, Quezon City  -- kindly leave your donations with the guard on duty, and tell him that it's for the toy drive of Iris Pulga.

Another mom I know, Dindi Besinga-Manlapaz, is collecting art supplies for 40 art therapy kits that will be given as Christmas gifts to the children victims of Typhoon Yolanda and the recent Visayas Earthquake. The photo below shows what materials are still needed:

Dindi is accepting donations in cash (to buy the materials) or in kind. If you want to help out in this way, you can get in touch with her at 0927-7343105.

Stay tuned for more ways to give gifts that give life, particularly to the victims of Typhoon Yolanda. Oh, and if you have a suggestion for giving gifts that give life, please feel free to email me at tina@trulyrichmom.com, or tweet me @tinasrodriguez. Till my next post!