Watch this super cool clip from ABS-CBN North America of their interview with the ever awesome Kitchie Nadal as she represented Young Pioneer Disaster Response! The Filipina rockstar talked about her team-up with YPDR, and of our goals and programs for the benefit of Typhoon Yolanda survivors. We hope that this media exposure paves the
This week we launched our new Housing Retrofit program with the support of the International Labor Organization (ILO). For the next six weeks our Retrofit Team of 32 carpenters will be going door-to-door in seven Barangays assisting families to storm-strengthen their homes, strengthening their structures with hurricane strapping, gussets, timber cleats, cross bracing in the roofs
Today Young Pioneer Disaster Response (YPDR) and Polish Humanitarian Action (PAH) hosted a ground breaking ceremony to celebrate beginning the final stage of repairs at Santa Fe High National School at 10 am, attended by Honorable Department of Cebu Province School Division Superintendent Dr. Arden D. Monisit, Principal Mr. Marianico Ilustrisimo, and partner organization Polish Humanitarian
Bantayan Island,Cebu, Philippines,June 10, 2014 – Young Pioneer Disaster Response delivered $250,000 USD (10,942,499.35 php) worth of medical supplies to Bantayan District Hospital, Santa Fe Health Services and Madridejos Health Services in honor of our 6 month anniversary on June 7, 2014. The goods have were donated by CarePoint Health, of Hudson County, New Jersey,
Our amazing supporter, Magdalena Fijalkowska, continues helping to spread the word about our initiative in Philippines. This time her article and podcast in english appeared in the blog of DW (Deutsche Welle). The focus of this podcast is Maria Lukowska who, being the representative of PAH NGO, is YPDR’s main partner in Bantayan Island. Check
Nothing worth having ever comes easy! YPDR has overcome a lot since our humble beginnings last December. We have persisted through rough conditions in a disaster zone, illness, a constant struggle for funding, and, worst of all, slanderous remarks from people who want to undermine all of our hard work for their own selfish gain.
Cliff Villa, an adjunct professor at Seattle University School of Law and an attorney for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, traveled to the Philippines to mark the reopening of the School of the SEA (Sea and Earth Advocates). During his trip he also visited us in Bantayan Island and checked what has been done here
Great news for YPDR! Today Carmel L. Durano, the Honorary Consul for Poland in the Philippines, Red H. Durano, the former congressman of the 5th district in Cebu and the current Vice Mayor of Danao City, and their friends from Singapore Olivier and Tess Grawehr came to take a look at our housing and school
Today we started creating our pilot permaculture garden next to our first Phase 3 model house. It was a hot sunny day but our volunteers nonetheless vigorously built garden beds and paths. Thanks to our resident permaculturist Nick Brown for leading this awesome project which we hope to duplicate in other homes.
We are happy to announce our new partnership with Radyo Natin Madridejos, 102.9 fm!! Every Wednesday at 10am Katlyn Murray and Carlos Lo Pez will bring you Pioneer Power Hour, a new radio show featuring YPDR’s projects and activities as well as useful information and interesting content regarding Bantayan Island, with special focus on the
YPDR is currently developing its Phase 3 model house. The first Phase 3 model home, which is being built for our facilitator Chad and his family, contains structural improvements designed to make the home safer and more functional. The new model contains concrete posts which make the foundation stronger and slanted walls which give the
We’ve had a big past few days here at YPDR! Yesterday, we helped Malteser International to deliver a truckload of school supplies, 45 tents, and 25 temporary shelter kits. Today, our school crew headed out to Guiwanon to work on rehabilitating classrooms, painting a mural, and running educational programs with the kids. We nearly finished
It’s a collaborative effort here on Bantayan Island! Today YPDR worked in conjunction with one of our partner organizations, SAMU, to provide medical treatment to 107 people in desperate need in Barangay Sungko. YPDR located patients for SAMU’s medical professionals during surveys that we were conducting to review the progress of the homes we are
Healthy Oceans, Healthy Planet. Caitlin Flannery, Kataw Foundation. The oceans supply us with the majority of our oxygen. Tiny ocean plants called phytoplankton use photosynthesis to grow and contribute 50-80% of the oxygen in our atmosphere! [ http://earthsky.org/…/how-much-do-oceans-add-to-worlds-oxyg…] Fish are the most consumed protein worldwide and much of the people in low-lying island nations, like our
Revisiting YPDR on Bantayan Island 2 Years After Typhoon Yolanda Wow, two years sure has flown by! It was in 2013 when Typhoon Yolanda brought such horror and destruction to the Philippines. I happened to be backpacking throughout Southeast Asia at the time and since I didn’t have a specific timeline, I did some research
Beautiful Bantayan is what people call the island, those of us who have been blessed enough to have seen it or even lived here. Without using cliches, the beaches, sunsets and coconut trees are simply outstanding, however without the people who are born and raised on the island, the best photographs make but simple souvenirs.
SUSTAINABLE USE OF BAMBOO As much of the world is talking of overpopulation and us running out of resources, along with global warming and climate change, some are beginning to focus greatly on sustainability and protecting what planet earth provides for us, while others are reversing the damage already caused by the greedy and
Thank you to our long term friends and supporters the Enrique Zobel Foundation, YPDR.org is now the only facility on Bantayan Island with a dive compressor. This equipment will allow us to take our marine restoration programme to the next level! In partnership with University of San Carlos’ marine biology division and world famous environmental