There are a lot of ways in order to help Yolanda’s victims and one way is through using your mobile phone.
Mobile phone users all over the world can donate via text for relief, shelter, continuing education, and livelihood programs. This way is made possible by HelpPh which has been launched for a global donation campaign for relief, reconstruction and rehab.
Communities which have devastated by huge typhoon, the Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation (PDRF) has launched Help PH, a global campaign for donations via mobile load to help fund programs for relief and reconstruction in partnership with international organizations, Philippine NGO’s, government agencies and private companies.
There are more than 40 countries all over the world, and mobile phone users in different places can now donate to HelpPh by sending airtime load to PDRF through BayadLoad, a mobile money service of Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) approved by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (the Philippine Central Bank) for this purpose.
Here’s what a mobile phone user must do in order to contribute: overseas should key in +63-999-7-000-000 (12-digits) as the beneficiary mobile number and then to send donation just use the airtime top-up procedure of their specific mobile network operator. Note, the maximum amount per day is is US$10 and this fund-raising program will continue until December 31, 2013.
PDRF chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said, “the unprecedented scale of the devastation inflicted by Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda requires a global response. Through HelpPh, we are providing people all over the world the means to send help to those in greatest need through a few clicks on their mobile phones.”
In initiating a global effort, United Nations recently raised US$310 million for the Philippines in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda.
CNN reported, a donation via text campaign raised US$25 million four days after Japan was hit by a m(–foul word(s) removed–)ive earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, while a donation drive for the victims in the 2010 Haiti earthquake generated over US$150 Million.
By means of Philippine and International partners, funds gathered will be directly channeled to immediate relief efforts and later, to long-term recovery programs in areas of the greatest need.
Through its mobile money subsidiary, Smart has partnered with four leading global mobile airtime transfer companies that include Transfer To, Tranglo, www.ezetop.com, and Aryty, which together cover more than 250 partner mobile network operators in 90 countries, serving 5.9 billion mobile subscribers, 60 percent of whom, or about 3.6 billion, are prepaid users.
These operators are in countries such as Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, United Kingdom,Greece, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Macau, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Oman, Qatar, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and the Vatican City, among others.
PDRF was organized in 2009 following the devastation caused by Typhoon Ketsana/Ondoy and is made up of major private sector companies and leading NGOs.