Changing Fortunes

A group of students visited Typhoon Haiyan survivors in Eastern Samar to distribute donations and other necessities.

By Ashley Tay

HAPPY FACES: Children in Eastern Samar, Philippines, wave at the camera.
PHOTO: BIG DOLLAR RESCUE

At a time when many were flocking home for reunion dinner with their families over the Chinese New Year weekend, a group of NTU students eschewed the traditional celebrations and flew to a foreign land to spread the festive cheer.

Rachel Gong, Samantha Branson, aged 22, and Li Zhengliang and Michael Chin, aged 24, were on ‘The Red Packet Mission’ to bring smiles to the faces of hundreds of Typhoon Haiyan children survivors in Eastern Samar, Philippines.

The four final-year students from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information filled up 520 red packets for the students of Balangkayan Elementary School. The red packets were printed with well-wishes from donors, and contained 70 pesos (S$2). In addition, the group also distributed necessities like raincoats, toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Chinese New Year is not recognised as a public holiday in the Philippines, but the team wanted to use the occasion to make a meaningful impact.

“We wanted to share the joy with a bunch of kids who’ve never experienced it before, and whom we think, have never needed it more — the child survivors of Typhoon Haiyan”, said Michael.

In November last year, Typhoon Haiyan killed an estimated 6,000 people and devastated homes, schools and other infrastructure. A joint agency report by Save the Children, UNICEF, World Vision and Plan, approximated that 41 per cent of the disaster-affected population were children.

The group has received more than S$3000 from donors to fund the children of Eastern Samar with red packets and relief.

The Red Packet Mission, which was realised in the Philippines from 3 Feb to 7 Feb, is part of the team’s broader campaign titled “The Big Dollar Rescue”.

The Final Year Project is an effort by the quartet to harness the trend of youths travelling abroad and translate their spending power into ‘rescuing power’. They aim to raise awareness among youths about leveraging on the strength of the Singapore dollar to help children in Syria and the Philippines.

The group members returned from their expedition with many unforgettable memories.

“We went to give but came back with so much more. In five days, the kids from Balangkayan elementary school taught me more than I ever knew about resilience, bravery and hope,” said Zhengliang.

To find out more about The Big Dollar Rescue and how you can help, visit http://www.bigdollarrescue.com.