The Soh family, founders of Buckets for Jesus, have been happily overwhelmed by the generosity of the Perth community, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, after a colossal amount of goods was donated to their Philippines typhoon appeal.
The family and a group of dedicated volunteers have collected three shipping containers full of clothes and medical supplies to ship to Sebu where they will be distributed to the hardest-hit areas.
Ruby Soh, who was in Bohol in the week before Typhoon Haiyan to help people recovering from the October earthquake, departed Perth for Sebu to coordinate the distribution effort.
She said she was “extremely grateful” for the show of support for her home country.
Volunteers associated with the Soh family also launched an appeal in Singapore, collecting eight container loads of goods for the effort.
Speaking to The Record last Friday, Mrs Soh said she was happy to be returning to the Philippines to contribute to the aid effort but was also slightly apprehensive about the level of devastation she expected to find there.
“I am quite anxious and concerned just from what I have been reading; a priest I know on the ground is giving me updates,” Mrs Soh said.
“He is hoping that more people will come and help, worried that the plight of the Philippines will drop off the radar as time goes on.”
The appeal has also received support from companies, including Coates Hire which donated six generators and has offered to supply 50 temporary mobile homes or dongas for which the Sohs are attempting to secure shipping.
The Soh family closed their furniture business, Mode Studio in Subiaco, for the duration of the appeal which ended on November 22.
“It has been a sacrifice, two weeks of trade, but it is worth it if we can save lives and help,” Mrs Soh said.
The priest in Bohol with whom Mrs Soh has been working, Fr Khing Vaño, sent this eyewitness account of what is happening in the region to The Record on November 22: “I was at ground zero of the 7.2 earthquake that hit Bohol on October 15 in the town of Carmen. It was like the end of the world. I was lucky my house survived but not my neighbour’s. As an act of thanksgiving to God, we organised relief operations bringing water, food and tents to the victims in the evacuation areas. Generous friends and donors from here and abroad provided the money and supplies. ”
“One month after the quake, we are working on rehabilitation, helping people go back to their homes and rebuild their houses. This is a longer process and we are coordinating with the local government and local Church. Hopefully, we can link our relief efforts and rehabilitation towards development. Those affected in our area are mostly poor farmers.”
“Carmen sustained strong winds but damage was minimal. It was very bad in Leyte and Samar Islands, next door neighbours to Bohol. Coming on the ruins of an earthquake and the earlier, smaller typhoon, it brought more fear and desperation to the populace.”
“Our nerves are broken, but not our spirits. The biggest challenge after the earthquake and typhoon relief efforts are over, is how to sustain the momentum of help for the victims.”
“Usually, people are ready to help at the onset of the disaster and a few weeks after but for the long haul, which is needed for the victims who lost homes and property, hardly anybody cares. How can we link relief rehabilitation and development for those who suffered the devastation?”
“Australians have been very helpful to the Philippines in the past and the present. We are very thankful for this,” Fr Vaño said.