Feeding the Hungry by Nathan Mari
Three typhoons struck the Philippines starting Saturday September 26 2006 bringing extreme flooding and devastation. What they showed on TV and in the newspapers couldn’t have prepared us for the task ahead… all we knew is that disaster struck and we needed to respond. That’s the GK way you know, no blueprints, no templates, just heroic response! While most people in the country have already stopped relief work because, well that’s just the way it goes I guess, after 11 days eventually the news gets stale,
“Operation GK: Walang Iwanan” will keep going well into Christmas. Even after 11 days of feeding the hunger cannot be subdued. Unlike the homes we build, at least there is something that remains, hunger is only something that passes. Many of the people we were going too haven’t had any sort of relief in 11 days. That means that for those who have lost everything, they haven’t eaten properly for almost two weeks. But they were glad we came! As soon as they saw the trucks people started walking up to the feeding grounds where thousands of them can finally get much needed relief.
I was amazed at our volunteers on the ground! The burden of: having done this for 11 days, and having to return tomorrow didn’t seem to faze any of them. There were also some previous beneficiaries there who were familiar with the pains of hunger. They did what they could to help, but the reality is that of the millions of Filipino’s going hungry today, they would only be going to 7000. To them it was worth it! They stood in line passing sacs filled with rice, canned food, spaghetti sauce and bottles of water into the ”Bulldogs”. Once all fifteen were filled, we were off. We sat in the back and in my truck was Kat. She shared with me her story: (Click the youtube link to watch -2 Parts http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8CWz7xFMJs ) The day before while she was doing a feeding with the military escorts, her truck was one of the last ones there. As people began to realize that there was no more food and her truck was the last, they began to storm towards her truck. She had just finished passing out bread to an elderly woman when all of a sudden hands came from everywhere to take whatever scraps they can from the old lady. Kat was in tears and yelled “Lola!!” She was sharing with me how guilty she felt because she blames herself for the hurt that that Lola went through. You see the reality is that when people are hungry, their predatory instincts come out, but like a lion in search of their next meal! When people are in survival mode, it’s a battle of the fittest. This is what we reduce people too when they are deprived of the most basic human needs such as food.
On our way up to the site, the situation was far worse that what they showed on TV, or what I read about in the newspapers. Nothing could’ve prepared me for it… water absolutely everywhere… whole houses were swallowed up by the floods! Streets became rivers and people carried their families in anything that could float. Walking to their homes were now done through boats and makeshift paddles made from scraps of plywood. But it wasn’t the fact that people had lost everything, or that their belongings remained submerged, or their clothes were still wet and dirty. People were hungry! They were desperate for food. When Kuya Luis told me that they feeding
would continue well into Christmas I was shocked! I though why would you need to do that? But when I saw that even after 11 days the waters still haven’t come down, I understood. So I took my place in the line and began distributing food… the hours passed and the lines never diminished. We were there for almost 6 hours and I was exhausted! My back was hurting, my shoulders painful from passing over 4000 food packs so far, I was hungry because by that time it was already 2pm and I haven’t eaten for almost 7 hours, but what right did I have to complain?! Look at these people who haven’t eaten for almost two weeks… I kept my selfishness to myself and kept on going. We packed and distributed 7500 food packs that day! I felt proud at the extraordinary achievement… I can finally say that I fed the hungry, and add that to my list of corporal works of mercy. But the reality hit me, why should I feel proud?! The true heroes are the GK people on the ground, because long after I return to the US to tell their story, they will still be here packing and feeding the millions of Filipino’s going hungry every day.
GK heroes leave no one behind during calamity
GK heroes leave no one behind during calamity
By Michael Lim Ubac
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 05:01:00 10/13/2009
Filed Under: Ondoy, House building, volunteerism, Charity, Relief & Aid Organisations
MANILA, Philippines—“Walang iwanan (leave no one behind).”
With this mantra, thousands of Gawad Kalinga (GK) volunteers, coordinators and donors paid tribute on Saturday to those who lent a helping hand to GK’s relief operations for victims of Tropical Storm “Ondoy” (international codename: Ketsana).
And with northern and Central Luzon still reeling from the devastation of Typhoon “Pepeng” (international codename: Parma), GK founder Tony Meloto and executive director Luis Oquiñena vowed to continue giving aid to flood victims in Zambales and Baguio City, among other places still submerged in floodwaters.
Gawad Kalinga, which means “to give care,” is dedicated to helping poor families build their own homes. Founded by the Catholic group Couples for Christ in 1995, it presents a community development model fueled by volunteers in the spirit of “bayanihan (cooperation).”
The message of hope amid the sea of destruction, death and despair that submerged Luzon over the past two weeks was the theme of “GK Expo 2009” held at Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City.
“We will rise from the floodwaters because we are here to help one another,” said Meloto to the GK volunteers.
This year’s expo is the sixth held by the movement to pay tribute to volunteers and donors from all walks of life—the military, former slum dwellers now “homeowners,” donor companies, legislators and Metro Manila mayors.
In 2003, “GK777,” the vision of building 700,000 homes in 7,000 communities in seven years was launched at the first GK Expo.
The late former President Corazon Aquino declared that “GK is People Power.”
At Monday’s expo, Meloto said many ordinary folk from GK communities emerged as heroes in the recent calamity.
“Those who received help were the ones who willingly helped their neighbors,” he said, adding that 95 residents of GK communities in Napindan, Marikina, helped about 10,000 distressed families in nearby areas.
“We are quietly inspiring one another to help,” he said.
Vice President Noli de Castro added his voice to the ardent call for volunteerism.
“Ano man ang mangyari, walang iwanan (Whatever happens, leave no one behind),” De Castro said.
He paid tribute to the ordinary people who perished while helping their neighbors at the height of “Ondoy’s” onslaught.
In his remarks, Oquiñena said the “bigger tragedy” was not Ondoy or Pepeng, but the abject poverty in the country.
“Many are still living in the slums, homeless, landless,” he said.
Oquiñena reiterated GK’s vision to end poverty for five million Filipinos in 15 years.
“We will raise the bar from relief to clean-up to rescue,” he said, explaining that rescue meant “relocating people from danger zones” instead of allowing them to return to their dilapidated homes to “sit and wait for the next disaster.”
From Oct. 25, GK will feed 1,200 children from flooded areas twice a day until Christmas Day, he said.
GK heroes leave no one behind during calamity
