The GESM community has been very supportive of our Adopt-A-Roof project for the victims of typhoon Yolanda. It is through your support that it is still ongoing and very much on track!
What we did so far:
- Our students have packed 430 bags with relief goods in the first days of the calamity. These bags where shipped either directly to Leyte by private truck through FAR EAST FURNITURE and GAWAD KALINGA and TV5 KAPATID Foundation. Some bags were given to stranded refugees in Manila at Villamor Airbase through PREDA Foundation.
- Our students have organized a private help drive to BILIRAN ISLAND to help poor people who are affected by the rise of the prices of daily goods. Our students surprised them with a CHRISTMAS GIVING activity with food better than the usual relief goods standard. Money was raised through a dedicated facebook page with the name .
- Urgently needed MEDICATION has been bought and sent to the Health Center Saint Francis of Assisi on Samar Island through Sister Sabine, a German nun. The health center was giving immediate re- sponse to the calamity in remote areas of Leyte. Please see the separate letter in German by Sister Sabine for details.
- Our funds were and are sufficient to accommodate (1) the immediate relief operations in December (2) the BILIRAN project (3) the SAMAR project and (4) the rehabilitation of ALL FOUR SCHOOLS on Bantayan Island. Sungko and Baigad are already finished. Sillon will be finished by the end of Janu- ary. The last school to be rehabilitated will be Oboob. Also, a couple of private houses have already been rehabilitated.
Future Plans
- We consider the immediate relief activities and the projects “Brightening Biliran” and “Samar” as successfully finished. We shall now focus on the ADOPT-A-ROOF project on BANTAYAN ISLAND and conclude the rehabilitation of all four adopted schools. By request from the headmasters we will also renovate specific parts of the school other than the roof. For example it is already decided that we’ll rebuild the presentation stage of Sungko Elementary School.
- Once all four schools are rehabilitated, we’ll focus on the renovation of PRIVATE HOUSES. Official data suggest that there are 2000 houses that were completely destroyed in “our” four barangays (villages) Oboob, Sillon, Sungko, Baigad. Our contact, Mr. Ceasar Morandarte, has established the following list of priorities: o The families who support our GESM students during their annual visits on Bantayan Island o The smallest and poorest houses/huts have highest priority o The affected families that do not enjoy support from family members abroad. o Community service (waste management etc.) As long as our funds last, the rehabilitation of private houses can continue. The priority is a SOLID ROOF CON- STRUCTION. The rest of the house must be renovated by the owners themselves.
- In May 2014, GESM STUDENTS will visit Bantayan Island again for their scientific studies and interviews (for the CAS-part of their IB-diploma). They will visit the four barangays, talk to the beneficiaries, and discuss future plans.
Our Biggest Thanks to the Following:
- All private donors: Friends of GESM, parents, students, teach- ers, former parents/students/ teachers
- AllGESM “Brightening Biliran” supporters
- Student Council (Schülermitverwaltung) of the German European School Singapore
- KollegSanktBlasien (through our ex-student Freddy Hagelstein)
- “AuswärtigerKulturausschuss”of the German Parliament through Herrn Peter Gauweiler
- European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines through Mr. Martial Beck
- German International School Jakarta and German Embassy Jakarta
- German School Seoul Interna tional and friends
- German School Qatar and friends
- Lufthansa Technik Philippines through Christiane Frieling haus and friends
- SACO Shipping GmbH through Harald Pahl
- Family Schreiner-Ottand their friends
- Family Koch and their friends
- Ulrike Lohse
- Christoph Grandt’s Korean,Ken- yan, and Nicaraguan friends
- Wolfgang Kollecker and friends with the Rotary Club Waltrop/ Datteln
- Helmholtz Gymnasium Karlsruhe
- Elternbeirat Kindergarten Jungingen
- Aktion Hessen Hilft