From January 2012 to date, the Foundation made its rounds in various communities all over the country serving a total of 432,444 individuals through various health, education, disaster relief, and values formation projects.
“The Foundation is committed to ensuring the sustainable operations of its programs. As we recognize our role of being a “strong bridge” between donors and beneficiaries, we make it a point to actively promote our initiatives to generate maximum funding for all of our projects,” shared GMA Kapuso Foundation Executive Vice President and COO Mel Tiangco.
Year to date, GMAKF was able to collect a total of P 71,390,316.53 worth of cash donations and P 18,461.703.78 worth of donations in kind from donors here and abroad.
The first seven months of 2012 was highlighted by several major events including the inauguration of 5 new classrooms in Camarines Norte in January. Immediately after, the team went to Iligan to commence construction of 10 new classrooms in Brgy. Mandulog in Iligan, where the construction of the Kapuso Village is also ongoing. The first 7 classrooms were turned over in June, just in time for the school opening, while the remaining 3 classrooms, along with the first 20 houses of the Kapuso Village, had just been turned over last September 1.
It further supported the cause of education through its long-running Unang Hakbang Sa Kinabukasan Project, which marked its 15th anniversary this year. With this project, 45,208 incoming Grade 1 pupils from all over the country received a complete set of school supplies.
The Foundation also strengthened its regional presence with the launch of its Davao Chapter, which was aimed at enhancing the delivery of service to underprivileged residents of Davao and nearby regions, last August 17. This is in addition to the 3 other chapters established in Cebu, Iloilo and Dagupan.
The presence of GMAKF regional chapters proved to be beneficial in times of calamities making the Foundation’s relief response more prompt and effective than ever. For instance, when the intensity 6.9 earthquake hit Negros Oriental in February, the advance deployment of the GMAKF Cebu Regional office facilitated the transfer of relief goods from Cebu to Dumaguete.
As disasters abound this year – from typhoon Gener, monsoon rains and floods, earthquakes, landslides & fires – GMAKF ensured the continuous mobilization of donations and volunteers serving a total of 374,889 individuals though its Operation Bayanihan disaster relief program.
Under its Health program, GMAKF has so far served a total of 12,079 patients through various medical assistance projects. Among these are the “Isang Tuwa at Isang Pag-Asa” project, a joint undertaking with Tahan-Tahanan, for children battling with cancer; the five-day medical, surgical and dental mission in Tabuk, Kalinga, a pilot project conducted with the Rotary Club of University District Manila and the Philippine Chamber of the Pharmaceutical Industry (PCPI), as well as other medical missions conducted all throughout the previous months of the year.
On top of the abovementioned number of beneficiaries, more Filipinos also benefited from the newly-constructed classrooms and sanitation facilities built for Sendong victims in Iligan; while countless lives were saved from the Sagip Dugtong Buhay bloodletting events held in February and August.
“We are thankful for the continued and generous support of our donors for without them these accomplishments would have never materialized,” said Tiangco. “We are, however, most grateful for their confidence and trust that inspire us to go above and beyond our duties as we continue to bring help and assistance to those who truly need them,” she added.
