The aftermath of the Zamboanga siege last September displaced more than a hundred thousand people, and prompted the United Nations to declare a humanitarian crisis.
Five months after the siege, People in Zamboanga and the Philippines have moved on. However, there are still 25,000 people struggling in makeshift tents in Zamboanga city. On December 14, 2013, Rappler.com published an article entitled ‘Zamboanga: The Forgotten Crisis.’ Conversely, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs released on January 3, 2014 an article entitled: ‘Philippines: Zamboanga, a forgotten crisis in the shadow of Haiyan’. Zamboanga Today, in its February 11 article, reported that 81 people have already died in the evacuation centers because of the unhealthy environment.
The reports above highlight a sad reality: people have largely ‘forgotten’ the evacuees in our ‘tent city’, who are clearly in need of assistance.
In response to this challenge, The ADZU IMAJE and the Ateneo Informatics and Computing Guild organization are joining hands for a passion project which aims to provide aid to the displaced Zamboanguenos in the city.
This project made its debut a few months ago after super typhoon Yolanda wreaked havoc across Visayas. It was first conceptualized by Ateneo Informatics and Computing Guild, an SIT sub-organization of CS, IT, and NMCA students. Its format is simple: for a period of time, students and/or employees are encouraged to give up one day’s worth of allowance/budget to help people in need.The project can be adopted by any department/organization/institution for purposes of helping those who are victims of calamities.
A second phase of the project was launched for the evacuees of the Zamboanga crisis. The fundraising was held in partnership with IMAJE—SIT sub-organization of IT and NMCA students. This phase was launched on February 13, 2014 at the College Building Lobby ADZU Salvador Campus.
The project’s goal is to show the evacuees love in this season of love. The proponents of the project are hoping to raise P25,000 as a form of support for the 25,000 evacuees. The money will be used to purchase sanitary kits for families (targeting kids). The kit includes:
- Soap
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Shampoo
- Diapers
- Milk (selected families)
The project proponents are reaching out to friends and organizations in Ateneo and throughout the country to encourage them to make 25,000 people know that they are not forgotten. You may visit their page at https://www.facebook.com/giveadaysallowance. You may also contact Mr Gerardo Luis Dimaguila, Project Director. He is a faculty member of the ADZU Computer Science Department. You may contact him at (062) 9910871 local 2245 for more information
