Aboitiz Group initiate
a Wall of Hope for Yolanda Survivors
Beginning last November 13, everyone who goes to the cafeteria is greeted by a wall filled with colorful envelopes where they could insert a note of hope and encouragement for a typhoon survivor.
Each time the wall is filled up with notes, the envelopes are gathered and sent to the command center in Cebu, where they are inserted inside relief packs that are distributed to the survivors. A looped video beside the wall also shows photos of the destruction in Northern Cebu and Leyte , as well as ways that team members can help- whether by donating in cash or in kind, or by volunteering.
“Pinadapa man tayo ng pagsubok, kakayanin pa rin natin tumayo,” reads one note. “Just want to tell you that whatever happens there are people who care for you,” reads another. Others who speak Bisaya or Waray, prefer to send their message of love and hope in their native dialect. One note from a team member who hails from Leyte, wrote the following in Bisaya: “To my fellow Leyteno, I know the feeling of pain you are experiencing right now. Let us lift each other from this and may God bless us”. Others have even shared their artistic ability, drawing inspiring sketches along with their message of hope.
“We are truly very encouraged with the response,” said Gloidan Papas, who along with fellow Aboitiz team member MJ Sendana, conceptualized the Wall of Hope. “Some people were actually teary eyed when we were sharing the concept with them,”she added.
To date 101 messages have already been sent through courier service to the command center in Cebu, to be slipped into relief packs. But they are planning to make the rounds of the various offices in the building to collect more messages, given the thousands of relief packs that are sent out daily. Team members are also encouraged to send several messages.
But more messages of hope are expected to be collected in the coming days as other business units are replicating the Wall of Hope. Food Unit Pilmico has set up its own version in its Tarlac, Iligan and Cebu offices. Their Wall of Hope is actually a tarpaulin that Pilmicans can write on. Once full, the tarp will be posted on the relief delivery trucks and in distribution centers for the survivors to read. The Aboitiz Group’s Cebu office also intends to come out with its own version. “We hope that through this simple gesture, we could somewhat uplift the survivors’ spirit,” Papas added.
Outside of the Aboitiz Group, other sectors have also been coming out with their own messages of hope. A group of grade school children for instance, came out with their own love letters, while others write their messages on the relief packs or even on the canned good itself- anything to let the survivors know that they are not alone.
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