Event Geek

The Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) donated stoves, mats, water containers, and school supplies to around 267 families and 356 schoolchildren who were affected by the fire that hit Barangay T. Padilla, Cebu City last Aug. 9.

Barangay T. Padilla is a neighbor and partner of RAFI. Before RAFI held the relief operation last Aug. 15 at the Casa Gorordo Museum, the foundation partnered with the local government unit of Barangay T. Padilla in conducting a validation of the needs of the fire victims.



“Through this validation, we were able to look at the big picture and learn what have been given already,” Anthony Dignadice, executive director of the Office of Humanitarian Relations and Services of RAFI, said.

RAFI provided 193 stoves, 174 water containers, and 26 mats. The school supplies, which were provided for through the Dolores Aboitiz Children’s Fund of RAFI, benefited 66 kindergarten pupils, 66 Grade One students, 37 Grade Two students, 42 Grade Three students, 35 Grade Four students, 43 Grade Five students, and 67 Grade Six students.

Each student received a plastic school envelope, containing eight notebooks, two pencils, one box of crayon, and one pad of paper. These supplies were re-packed and distributed by volunteer employees of RAFI to the fire victims, with the help of the Young Minds Academy (YMA) scholars and Aboitiz Leaders of Excellence (ALEx) members.

YMA is a youth citizenship and leadership development program of RAFI while ALEx is the youth network of RAFI that composed of YMA graduates, Young Minds on Xplore delegates, Kool Adventure Camp participants, and Timawa Adventure Leadership members.

RAFI employees also donated clothes and other goods to the T. Padilla fire victims before the relief operation was held. Members of the Carolinian Sociological-Anthropological Society of the University of San Carlos, the partner organization of the Cultural Heritage Program of RAFI for the Kabataan, Kultura ug Kabilin heritage event, also helped in the repacking of the donated materials.