After the devastating Super Typhoon Haiyan (known locally as Yolanda) hit the central islands of the Philippines, the Calvin Ayre Foundation committed to sending teams to help those affected by the ravages of the storm. This is another update from a group on the ground on the small island of Malapascua.
The team funded by the Calvin Ayre Foundation went to one of the smaller islands hit by the typhoon to partner with a group known as HELP Malapascua. The crew went with the intentions of bringing chainsaws and generators to clear the roads and pathways throughout the island but ended up doing so much more.
The team organized chainsaw crews made up of locals and expats; using the tools purchased with the donated money to clear 80% of the pathways and small roads on the island. They worked long hours to clear debris from people’s homes and properties so the island’s residents could begin to salvage materials to rebuild and eventually move back into their homes.
The team used a portion of the donations to bring 200 tetanus shots and also tarps and GI sheets for roofing homes to help protect from the elements that could turn in an instant in the Visayan Sea.
On day 8 of the 14-day mission to the island, the team met with a group of American doctors who were sent to do a needs assessment. The small island was left without a doctor after the storm so the caring hands of the medical team were very much needed and appreciated as the locals were suffering from injuries and illnesses do to the lack of sanitation which were exacerbated by the typhoon.
Women were giving birth after the typhoon and the doctors were there to help with the births and deal with other issues that preexisted the typhoon such as chronic illness, dehydration and child malnutrition that were worsened by the devastating effects of the storm.
The medical team consisted of 20 medical professionals consisting of doctors, nurses and pharmacists who themselves brought $2m worth of medicines that was donated by relief organizations around the world.
The doctor’s budgets were exhausted but with an influx of cash from the Calvin Ayre Foundation, the medical team was able to stay on the island for 9 days and went on to treat over 600 people.
The Calvin Ayre Foundation team was there to help build a makeshift field hospital so the medical team could provide healthcare to the residents of the island. The foundation team helped to implement a child-feeding program in an effort to fight the malnutrition on the island.
Foundation team lead Marc said of the mission, “At this point we have done so much more with the money that we have thought possible and only half of the budget has been used. We are currently talking to another group on the ground who has committed to building 100 more homes.”
He continues, “We’ve been helping mothers whose children are so badly malnourished with limbs so severely emaciated they are unable to walk, it’s been rewarding but incredibly heartbreaking, we’ll do all that we can but so much more needs to be done.”
Please continue to give to the Typhoon Haiyan Relief efforts. If you work in the online gambling industry, email a copy of your donation receipt to [email protected] and the Calvin Ayre Foundation will match all donations up to $1m.
