AirAsia has raised P97 million ($2.17 million) from its “To Philippines with Love” campaign (#toPHwithlove) to help fund reconstruction efforts in Supertyphoon “Yolanda”-affected areas.

 

The donations—from the public and matched by the AirAsia Group, as well as contributions by AirAsia partner companies—will be distributed to four development partners to fulfill the airline’s pledge to support the rebuilding of homes and the livelihood projects for survivors in the hardest hit areas.

 

The main recipient, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), will build 345 homes in Panay with public contributions amounting to P46 million ($1.04 million).

 

From the matching and partner funds managed by AirAsia Foundation, Habitat for Humanity Philippines will receive P37.4 million ($850,000) to construct 187 permanent housing units in Tacloban. These structures are designed to withstand an Intensity 8 earthquake and 250-kph wind speed.

 

“We express our deepest gratitude to guests who contributed generously to this fund-raising effort which exceeded all our expectations. We started this campaign as an expression of Asean unity for survivors who lost so much, and we are incredibly touched to find that the campaign received donations from people in 75 countries all over the world. AirAsia is proud to match this donation and ensure that every cent goes to rebuilding lives,” said group CEO Tony Fernandes at a recent press conference.

 

Contributing partner companies to this donation drive are Credit Suisse, Tune Insurance, Queens Park Rangers Football Club, CIMB Group and EQ8.

 

This marks the second phase of AirAsia’s campaign in aid of post-“Yolanda” relief and reconstruction efforts. During the initial relief period, AirAsia was one of the first commercial carriers to operate humanitarian flights, carrying close to 5,000 relief workers and survivors as well as 400 tons of aid items to Tacloban, Cebu and Kalibo. This is in addition to the 250,000 free seats made available across AirAsia’s Philippine network for people to travel in search of missing family members.

 

In selecting the reconstruction partners, AirAsia prioritized their comprehensive approach to ensure that beneficiaries are better equipped to face weather challenges. The PRC requires home recipients to undergo a compulsory Participatory Approach on Safe Shelter Awareness training, while Habitat for Humanity’s program covers disaster awareness and skills training.

 

Beneficiaries of the PRC homes will be selected based on the extent of impact of the disaster on the families, including their vulnerability factor (single parents, families having more than three children below age 15, families with persons with disability or the elderly).

Habitat for Humanity homes will be assigned to families according to a needs-based list provided by the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

 

In livelihood creation, P8 million will be allocated to Hapinoy’s Project Bagong Araw to revive disrupted sari-sari store networks. A total of 133 women from low-income households in Palo, Leyte, will receive grants and loans of P60,000 per household to set up home-based sari-sari stores or provision goods businesses.

 

This revolving capital is expected to continuously provide loans to other low-income households affected by “Yolanda.”

 

“We believe that for people to get their lives back on track, it is crucial that they have jobs and the opportunity to earn income. The livelihood projects that we support also help restore damaged supply chains to address the problems of inflation and shortages in typhoon-affected areas,” Fernandes added.

 

The fourth recipient of AirAsia Foundation’s allocation is Rags2Riches Inc., a Filipino social enterprise that trains underprivileged individuals in craft skills and engages them in its value chain to enable them to earn fair wages.

 

Rags2Riches is a recipient of AirAsia Foundation’s Social Enterprise Grant 2013 to train 100 artisans in craft skills.

 

Rags2Riches will train 50 individuals in Tacloban in sewing and painting skills so that they are able to join the social enterprise’s artisans network. Products from this collaboration will be sold in the AirAsia Megastore.

 

The balance of just over $54,000 will support the airport workers in Tacloban, Cebu and Kalibo whose homes were damaged or destroyed during the storm.