More than 1,000 families have lost their homes following a devastating fire which ripped through a Manila slum – at a time when residents were being encouraged to stay home amid the coronavirus.
The Happyland site in Tondo has been the focus of a major community initiative, the Purple Community Fund, which is transforming the lives of families who were living on the rubbish dumps of the capital.
Jane Walker, whose project has been supported widely by Rotary clubs in Great Britain and Ireland, said she was devastated to hear the news of the fire which broke out on April 18th.
She said: “I don’t know where to begin. In the early hours of this morning a fire broke out in our Tondo community and, to date, 1,600 people have lost everything they own.
“We have families camped in our centres and all evacuees will need food for next week. This, on top of providing food packs for all families, is more than we can sustain.”
Jane, from Southampton, started the Purple Community Fund in 2002, having initially used her savings to build a small day care centre for 60 children.
Eighteen years later, the charity’s work has transformed life in the slum where previously, families were scraping a living off by re-selling the rubbish left on the dump.
In the early hours of this morning a fire broke out in our Tondo community and, to date, 1,600 people have lost everything they own.
The charity has created work programmes to allow the families to earn sustainable and reliable incomes by making upcycled products and to start their own businesses.
And the Purple Community Fund has a high level of involvement in Tondo with its community education, health and nutrition programmes.
But much of this has been left in ashes following the fire where families lost everything. Some 4,115 people were affected, including 1,843 children, some of whom were Purple Community Fund staff.
“This has all happened at the worst possible time due to the coronavirus outbreak, social distancing was just not possible, as the need for food and shelter was far greater,” added Jane.
“In addition, all of our families are in need of food, so we are now dealing with two emergency situations.”
Jane and her team have been working with other charities to source food and clothing, and the response has been rapid.
They have also set up an appeal fund where any donations would be greatly appreciated.
