Rice for Filipinos affected during Covid-19

As you probably know, many people all over the world are struggling now to survive during Covid-19. One of those places is Philippines, a country heavily dependent on tourism. I lived in Moalboal, Philippines, for two years which is a town next to a beautiful coral reef that attracted tourists for many years. Over time everyone in the area became involved in the tourist trade, directly or indirectly. Now that the tourists are gone unemployment is very very high and people are starving.

Over the last few weeks I have been supporting some close friends there and they have been sharing donated rice with their neighbours. But I can’t do this alone for much longer. With your help we can support many more people there as well.

Wait…. Who are you?

I’m Rimu, a New Zealander who traveled around South East Asia for a few months before settling down in Moalboal, Philippines, for about two years. I would snorkel the reef regularly and got to know many expats and locals in the area.

To help the people there I have partnered with my Filipino friend, Maria. She has lived in Moalboal her whole life and knows exactly who needs help and which areas nearby have needy families. I have often been impressed with her hard work and total honesty. She has handled all the rice distribution over the last few weeks and sent me regular photo updates and receipts for everything. I trust her absolutely.

How will the funds be used?

==> $1 USD buys a kilo of rice, enough for a small family for a day.

99% of the funds raised will be used to buy rice from a local shop. About 1% will be used for transport, fuel and operating expenses.

All receipts and some photos of food recipients will be published here and on our social media page https://www.facebook.com/riceforfilipinos

Thank you for your support, every little bit helps a lot! If you can’t support this effort financially, hopefully you can share it on social media so someone else can.

Looking forward to making this happen, together!

Lots of love,

Rimu and Maria

P.S. 1 USD is about 1.60 NZD. During the donation process you might be asked to specify a NZ dollar amount so if you are from overseas bear that in mind.