RAFI, IRC Give Light in Northern Cebu

In partnership with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) distributed 2,500 “WakaWaka” solar lamps in northern Cebu to temporarily light the homes of survivors who still have no access to electricity last Jan. 28, dur to the super typhoon Yolanda which hit the Visayas last year.

Nearly three months after the typhoon ravaged northern Cebu, many survivors are living with fuel-powered lamps or candles at home. The typhoon toppled most of the electrical posts.

That is why the beneficiaries in the towns of Tabogon, Medellin, Madridejos, and Daanbantayan were grateful, as they can now light up their homes, especially during night time. They found the lamps useful, as the solar-powered lamps can be used up 16 to 100 hours or good for five days.

Because the lamps have solar panels, they can be charged during the day by exposure to sunlight and can then be used at night. With its multi-purpose cables, the WakaWaka lamps also serve as universal charger of cellular phones, ensuring that people could still have power to make emergency calls even when electricity is down.

IRC, an organization created upon the request of Albert Einstein, also gave blankets, jerry cans, and mats, which RAFI used to complement the shelter kits that were funded by Caritas Germany.

Since its founding in 1933, the IRC has responded to nearly every major global humanitarian crisis, helping millions of people. Its main office is in New York, but it also has offices in Washington DC, London, Brussels, Geneva, Bangkok, and Nairobi.

It chose RAFI as partner when it came to the Philippines to help in humanitarian efforts for supertyphoon Yolanda survivors.

Photo above: The WakaWaka lamp has solar panels on one side that stores heat energy from the sun that later on powers its LED lamp. Its multi-purpose cables, the lamp also serves as universal cellular phone charger. (Contributed photo)