Kerry Unwin
Kerry's Rise Up, Ride On page
Fundraising for All Hands and Hearts (UK) Trust
Story
November 8th, 2013, Super-typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) hit the islands of Samar and Leyte, Philippines, the strongest typhoon to ever make landfall. Yolanda killed over 6000 people, devastated 1.1million homes and caused complete destruction in its path.
As I was watching the news reports back home, I had an overwhelming need to help in any way possible. I applied to the All Hands Project Leyte, and gave up everything to come here, apart from my unwanted but loved little car, that is still on my parent’s driveway, if you have seen it, you’ll know what I’m talking about. I have been volunteering in the Philippines for over 6 months now, in this time the strength and resilience I’ve witnessed by families, children and all communities affected by typhoon Yolanda is utterly inspirational and beautiful. Chatting with families on a day to day basis, hearing their horrific experiences during Yolanda still brings a tear to my eye.
Nearly 1 year on, thousands of families still go to bed each night without adequate housing, forced to live in tents or makeshift shacks, fearful of the constant storms that hit this area. All Hands Volunteers are still here, dedicated to helping the victims of Yolanda who are still suffering from the immediate effects of the disaster. We have an ambitious campaign to raise 1.1millions pesos, one peso for every home destroyed by Yolanda. With the money we raise, we will build 9 permanent typhoon resistant homes for 9 very deserving families affected by the typhoon.
In efforts to raise this money, 6 of us are embarking on a 300km bike ride that follows the path of Yolanda’s devastation from Guiuan in Eastern Samar to Ormoc in Western Leyte. We will stop and stay in local communities, to document their lives one year later - their incredible stories of survival, their ensuing struggles after the typhoon, the recovery efforts made so far, and the repair that still needs to be done.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, please consider donating, no matter how little or large, every little counts.
Together we can really make a difference and give these people a home!
Kerry
xx