Sample of Disaster Relief Fund Request

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

Date of request August 03, 2008

Amount requested $20,000.00

Club None

Region Soroptimist International Philippines Region

Club president/region governor Carmen A. Flor

Address Unit 718 Globe Telecom Plaza Pioneer St. Mandaluyong City

Telephone 632- 706-2366 / 632- 994-7861 Fax 632-706-3933

E-mail address sipr@pworld.net.ph / dayliit@yahoo.com

Type of disaster Typhoon Frank-June 21, 2008

Location/area targeted for assistance Mabini, San Fernando Romblon

II. PROJECT NARRATIVE FOR DISASTER RELIEF GRANT REQUEST FOR SAN FERNANDO, ROMBLON

1. On June 21, 2008, Typhoon Frank battered the Philippines with its howling winds, bringing death and destruction along its path. San Fernando, Romblon, a fourth class coastal municipality along the Sibuyan Island, with a population of about 25,000 was one of those badly hit. What compounded its problem was the sinking of a vessel in its waters, MV Princess of the Stars, as it unfortunately crossed the typhoon’s path at its height, with 823 people on board, most of them still unaccounted for as of this date. As if that was not enough tragedy, it was later reported that the ship was carrying a highly poisonous undeclared substance called “endosulfan”, which up to now cannot be retrieved, as those concerned are still trying to figure out how the ship can be floated without spilling the poisonous substance without endangering marine life and the fishes and corals that thrive on it.
       In the meantime, the government has banned fishing – the main source of livelihood for those living in Sibuyan islands. Without a means of livelihood, devastated homes, impassable roads, and roofless schools, the residents of San Fernando face the bleak future of rebuilding their lives, as they try to survive one day at a time. While the government would like to help everyone, its resources are not enough and can only address a few of the basic needs.
       It is for this reason that Soroptimist International of the Philippine Region has decided to apply a disaster relief grant in behalf of barangay Mabini, San Fernando,Romblon, one of those badly hit by the typhoon.
       Barangay Mabini is a coastal barangay of about 50 families in San Fernando Romblon, where the family’s source of livelihood is mainly fishing. Situated near the sea, it was the barangay where almost all the families lost their homes to the sea when typhoon Frank hit their area. Right now, the families live in makeshift shelters or repair their homes with whatever available materials just to put a roof on their heads. The only school where their children go was not spared. Classrooms, books and what ever few school materials the school has were destroyed . And while the school authorities tried to restore and make it habitable, school attendance dropped, as children were obliged by their parents to help earn a living as farmhands or househelper to provide alternate income for the more immediate concern of putting food on the table and building makeshift shelter for their families.
2. With the main source of livelihood of fishing banned indefinitely, the burden of earning a living is left to mothers and young girls who does odd jobs like doing laundry and working as househelp for the more affluent families. On the average they just earn $2.00 a day, just enough to buy 2 kilos of rice to last them for a day.
3. The primary intervention needed is to help these women repair their homes and make it habitable to protect them and their families from the elements so they will not get sick and become unproductive. For the children, to be provided with transportation, school supplies and snack allowance so they could go back to school. For the women and young girls who are out of school, to be provided with livelihood and skills training to make them gainfully employed. With all the infrastructures swept by the raging water , it becomes imperative to put a multipurpose hall in the community where the women and children can be gathered for the skills, livelihood training and feeding programs that will be undertaken. After the skills and livelihood training, these women will be provided with a little capital to start a small business that can earn them extra income.
       About 200 women of the community will be benefited by the livelihood training and micro financing and house repair assistance. The livelihood needed is for the women to learn how to preserve food, their most basic need, grow vegetables like meat and poultry preservation, pastry making, and skills like reflexology, dressmaking and sewing, computer training for the young girls.
       The women will be organized into a cooperative to foster team effort and self monitoring. Micro financing, will be given to groups where each will be responsible for the individual loan and if somebody cannot pay for her loan, the group shall have to pay for it.
4. Since there is no soroptimist club in Romblon, the officers of the Soroptimist International Philippine Region will administer the fund in coordination with the women cooperative in the area, local barangay officials, parish priest of the community, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development. SIPR will also coordinate with the Philippine Army and Navy for the utilization of its tugboats and army trucks in bringing the trainors and goods to the island, and for its manpower resources in undertaking the needed repairs and providing security for the volunteers coming from Manila.

III. BUDGET