I'll be flying out tonight to Manila. Last time I was there... September 2013. That was when I was supposed to do the volunteering but had to put it in the back burner for an assignment in Melbourne.
Now.....this is it..... I'll be joining the group IDV - International Disaster Volunteers in Tacloban, Leyte, where the Typhoon Haiyan / Yolanda struck last November 2013. Still the situation is yet to be assessed when I get there. However, based on recent feedback, there's still a slow and sluggish improvement. But then any improvement is better than none at all. There are discussions between the Philippine Administration and Local government regarding funds to be released and action items to be planned out. As always, these are all politically driven.. and in a third world country... its "who you know"...
I've listed out the things I need to pack, whilst checking against the main packing list IDV provided. A wish list was sent over, which I'd most probably just buy once in Manila/Tacloban. Better to help the local community, besides, it's more expensive in New Zealand.
I don't really know what to expect. I look at the photos of the activities and it all looks promising. I may sound jaded a bit. These all comes out of a few volunteering experiences I've had, where expectations should be managed. I pray and hope that this will be a fruitful endeavor.....
Please pray for the success of this mission. I will try my best to record everything I see and experience. No sugar coating.... No filters... just the plain reality. Till my next entry.
No comments:
Post a Comment