10 stories from the Philippines' typhoon that will restore your faith in humanity
“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean become dirty, the ocean does not become dirty,” said Mahatma Gandhi.
It is easy to forget these words. The world we live in is not exactly that amazing place we dream about. We hear every day on TV, newspapers and the internet about wars, rape, massacres, pollution and other bad news. And usually too many important stories remain untold. Today we want to bring to you those untold beautiful stories from the Philippines, a country that has witnessed much devastation after the Haiyan Typhoon razed its Eastern part, killing thousands and leaving at least 600,000 homeless.
We hope those stories will restore your faith in humanity.
1. The poor, old laundry washer who donated her only belongings to the victim of the typhoon.
During a relief effort a poor widow donated this powdered milk that was already open, saying “That’s the only help I can give to the people in Leyte. I really have nothing right now, but this can be still given to the children there. They will like it because it’s Bearbrand”.
2. The grocery store owner who decided to stay in Guiuan instead flying elsewhere.
Susan Tan was all set to fly elsewhere in the country, but after a friend persuaded her to stay, she did, and transformed her grocery store into a relief center “I can’t just go to Cebu and sit in the mall while this place is in ruins,” she said. “Although I’ve been looted and made bankrupt by this, I cannot abandon my friends and my town. We need to help each other.”
3. The Japanese six year old who donate his savings to victims of the typhoon
Shoichi Kondoh, a six year old boy from Japan asked his parents to help him give all the savings he had from his piggy-bank to the Philippines. The little boy, who was accompanied by his mother, gave
¥5000 (almost $50) to the Philippine embassy. The Philippine embassy were quite taken aback over the simple but heartfelt gesture from Kondoh.
4. The Filipino mother who traveled 22 hours by boat to find her son
Adel Siguan traveled 22 hours by boat to reach her 8-year-old son and bring him much-needed drinking water after Typhoon Haiyan destroyed their small fishing town in Guiuan, Philippines.
Just before reuniting with her child, Siguan expressed the desperation she had felt before seeing him: “Of course I can’t sleep, I can’t eat. I can’t eat, I can’t really,” she said. “I don’t know what to do. Because I’m eager to know what’s happening to him.”
5. School class from Sundai who showed their support to Filipinos
A class from Sundai, one of the regions in Japan hit by a tsunami in 2011, show their support to victims of typhoon in this photo.
6. The street child who donated 2 Pesos to the victims of Haiyan Typhoon
Benjie lives on the streets, and makes a living by begging everyday. Volunteers in a drop-off station reported that Benjie came near to the station and handed to him 1 Peso (about $0.077). Apparently, he was giving his “donation” taken from the proceeds of his begging. That caught everyone by surprise. But the story doesn’t end there. Several minutes later, Benjie came back to the station and again gave another Peso coin (apparently this was after he was given 1 Pesos by begging). Maybe he realized that his first donation was not enough that’s why he came back and gave another peso.
7. Those messages written by donors on the reliefs
Those messages in Filipino means “Hold on”, “Don’t lose hope”, “Have faith in God”, “We are praying for you” and “Don’t give up” and were written by donors who sent relief material to the victims.
8. The girl who laid on the ground with a box written “Don’t just watch”
A student from Polytechnic University of Philippines laid down in an effort to ask for donations for the storm victims. Beside the lady is a box with written “Wag Ka Lang Manood” (Don’t just watch)
9. Messages from children donating their own toys and reliefs
Courtesy of www.talkph.com and www.facebook.com/wearecebu?fref=tsOne of the message read:
“Dear Brave People,I pray for them and I pray for the other people who dyid (sic). Love the people who dyid. Love, Joanne”.
10. #StrongerPH
To understand Filipino’s spirit just go on twitter and write #StrongerPH. You’ll see an incredible amount of tweets from people who are rooting for their country with pictures like “The Filipino spirit is waterproof” or “Earthquake can’t shake us, Cyclones can’t break us, Hurricanes can’t take away our love.”
It is during the toughest times that a nation’s true spirit is revealed. Filipinos are showing to the world their resilience, their strength and the beauty of their culture.
Tough times never last. Tough people do.
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