By Monty Audenart, aide to Rotary President Ron Burton and a Rotary Foundation Trustee
If there is one thing that’s evident in the Philippines, it’s that the people are resilient. When disasters like Typhoon Haiyan strike, there is grief, but then they get down to surviving.
As a Rotary Foundation Trustee, I was invited to take part in six district recognition celebrations for The Rotary Foundation in the Philippines involving ten Rotary districts. The events were planned months in advance and just happened to involve District 3860, hit hard by the typhoon. In attendance at the recognition celebration in Cebu was a past governor and his spouse from Tacloban, who had lost everything in the storm, but still came to the event to support the Foundation.
During my stay, I took time to visit damaged areas in northern Cebu with District Governor Ed Chiongbian, RI Director-elect Guiller Tumangan, and local Rotary members, helping deliver water, food and medical supplies to those in need.
When I returned to Manila, I also had the opportunity to serve as a dental volunteer on a medical project, working alongside local dentists in Las Pinas.
It was heartwarming just seeing the response of so many people on the ground in the Philippines. Many trees have been removed, and the efforts to provide shelter have been amazing. Many hands are there helping. But there is so much area to cover.
It will be a long recovery process. Clubs in Rotary District 3860 have created a relief fund for victims. Learn more.
You can also help by working with relief agencies like these:
Rotary Voices 
His is another superb example of Rotary at work. I am proud to be a Rotarian and to play a part in this humanitarian effort”
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Thank you for your reported assessment on your experience when you visited the countries severely devastated by the typhoon Haiyan. True it will take a long time to recover. And in the recovery process, Rotarians are making a huge mark in engaging Rotary to help improve and change lives. Rotarians will always be there. Our District 3830 have been continuously sending relief aids through the agencies, the Red Cross, through the local government units, and through sister clubs on those nearby and affected places, and through network of private groups that go to those places. We are happy, and grateful to the foreign countries who immediately came to the rescue and provided humanitarian aid medicines, food, water and brought hope to the people in the devastated areas of Tacloban and Samar, Leyte.
Thank you and may GOD continue to bless and protect you, and grant you healing and restore you to good health. Thank you for being a blessing to others. We your friends in Manila thank and appreciate you very much. Thanks for your friendship.
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disaster aid International is a one hundred per cent rotary charity rebuilding communities in the Philippines
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District 9820 has set up a disaster fund and the Rotary club of Moe has contributed four Disaster Aid boxes
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Your message to the six (6) TRF Dinners of 6 Rotary Districts inspired and motivated Rotarians to give and support more the Rotary Foundation. The opportunity to see the devastation by typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) will keep me be involved in the rehabilitation thru Rotary. There would be teary-eyed men, women and children but tomorrow will not be far behind…PDG Jun Perez, D-3830
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