(Manila, Philipines) — The towns of Tubigon and Maribojoc in Bohol province now have clean and safe drinking water due to a joint effort of the Coca-Cola Company and Habitat for Humanity Philippines. The two towns have newly rehabilitated water supply systems, a project which began in February 2014.

In Tubigon, a redeveloped 105,000-liter water storage tank will be able to provide clean water to 500 families in the barangays of Panaytayon, Ilijan Norte and Ilijan Sur. Meanwhile, 2,000 families across nine barangays in the town of Maribojoc will benefit from a new multi-filtration water system that outputs 1.2 million liters of clean water per day.

Representing the provincial government of Bohol, Atty. Anthony Damalerio expressed his gratitude to Coca-Cola Philippines and Habitat for “this good example of public-private partnership. This is one way to honor our strong commitment to deliver that basic commodity to our barangays.”

Damalerio said that the province’s demand for clean water will be increasing this year since Bohol will be embarking on massive infrastructure projects. Due to this, he explained, providing barangays access to clean and safe drinking water is a topmost priority. “We must not forget the role of our barangays.”

Coca-Cola Philippines Foundation President, Cecile Alcantara, said that the two projects are the company’s way of giving back to the community the water they’ve consumed for their products. “We call this ‘replenish,’ and we are happy to say that we have given back 40 to 50 percent of the water we’ve consumed back to the communities,” she said.

Alcantara also requested local government officials to educate their constituents to take care of the resource entrusted to them. She emphasized that “[since] water is not an infinite resource, we have to conserve it.”

Habitat for Humanity Philippines Managing Director and CEO, Charlie Ayco, says they took on this project as part of the organization’s goals of ensuring that Filipino families can have more decent and secure lives. “We are known for shelter, but in our housing-quality standards, clean water and sanitation are a vital components of a decent home.”

Both the Coca-Cola Company and Habitat for Humanity Philippines see themselves as partners for development, eyeing more projects together with the local government of Bohol to help rebuild the lives of those who have been affected by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake last October 2013.

“Perhaps the blessing is that the earthquake brought us all together, to work together so that we can [also] rise up together,” Coca-Cola’s Alcantara said.

Habitat for Humanity Philippines re-launches its “Rebuild Philippines- Online Champions: Race to 200K” campaign through its crowd funding website, www.give2Habitat.org/philippines with the primary objective of engaging the public to create their own Give2Habitat support online fundraising page in helping raise additional funds to sustain its ongoing rehabilitation efforts in building disaster resilient homes for numerous families and communities still affected by super typhoon “Haiyan” (locally known as “Yolanda”).

 During the initial phase of Habitat’s relief efforts, weeks after Haiyan, the project was able to address the immediate needs for community sustainability and shelter repair in the communities of Cebu, Samar, Leyte, Iloilo, and Palawan through the distribution of 4,730 Emergency Shelter Kits (ESK), 16,062 Shelter Repair Kits (SRK), 90 pump boats, 40 trisikad, 1,978 solar lamps, 450 Clean-Up Kits.

To date, Habitat Philippines was able to engage more than 2,000 online fundraising volunteers who created and managed unique support pages which has raised more than Php 17Million through its Give2Habitat page in its official website.

Through partnerships with both public and private sectors, Habitat for Humanity Philippines was able to deliver and is continuously building classrooms, community centres, and core houses in affected areas of super typhoon Haiyan. However, there are still many families and communities who need continuous support.

T o contribute to Habitat’s ongoing efforts, the public is encouraged to join this campaign by visiting www.give2habitat.org/philippines/onlinechampion

Habitat for Humanity Philippines (HFHP) is a non-profit organization that serves Filipino families in need of decent homes. We bring together partners who share the same vision of transforming lives through building responsible and sustainable communities. Established in 1988, HFHP is a country affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International based in Georgia, USA. For 25 years, HFHP has served over 60,000 families throughout the country. HFHP envisions that every Filipino family has a decent place to live. Visit www.habitat.org.ph or www.facebook.com/habitatphilippines for more details.

There’s definitely more to social media than just posting selfies, and sharing throwbacks. And Habitat for Humanity proved just that during the height of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in November.

photo courtesy of Habitat for Humanity

When the typhoon hit, help was needed immediately. Thousands of families were devastated and there was no time to waste. With the urgency of the problem and the need to disseminate information fast, Habitat turned to social media for an answer. 

In a few days word about Habitat’s Yolanda response was all over social media; bloggers, celebrities, and other willing individuals readily stepped-up to help spread the word and rally for donations. With millions in donations coming in, Habitat quickly went to work distributing emergency Shelter Repair Kits across affected areas. In the weeks and months that followed, social media support continued. 

There is no denying the power of social media today-- it enables people to build valuable connections regardless of distance, it allows unbelievably fast information exchange, it helps businesses reach a wider market, and it is undeniably today’s most widely used communication platform.

•    Worldwide, there are over 1.15 billion Facebook users and more than 550 million registered Twitter users.
•    72% of all internet users are on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, blog sites)
•    In the Philippines, there are 41 million internet users; 30 million of which are on social media.

Given the vast reach of this medium, Habitat for Humanity is proactively engaging social media influencers like you to boost our social media presence and tap the huge online market with our mission of helping those in need.

Habitat endeavors to shed light on and address the growing problem of poverty housing in the country by promoting policies, encouraging donations, inviting volunteers, and spreading the word about Habitat and its mission. 

Habitat works to provide decent shelter to families living in sub-standard, deplorable conditions. Over 1.6 billion of the world’s population live in inappropriate housing where children live in unhealthy conditions and families struggle daily to survive.

A home restores hope and provides stability among families and communities. In decent housing, the walls are strong and the roof is secure—and the family inside focuses more on thriving than on surviving. 

Habitat acknowledges the power of social media for social change. In its effort to maximize social media to help reach more people with its mission, Habitat is holding its first “Social Media Circle”, a gathering of bloggers and social media enthusiasts with a heart for social change; the event is also Habitat’s way of honoring its online supporters.

Habitat hopes to inspire these people to continue supporting Habitat’s work in their own way and through their own network of influence. With the undeniable power and vast reach of social media, Habitat is excited at the prospect of engaging more volunteers, donors, and advocates through this support group. 

Habitat is holding the very first “Social Media Circle” a gathering of social media influencers-- respected bloggers, celebrities/personalities with strong Facebook and Twitter presence, and members of online communities from various interest groups who are willing to help spread the word about Habitat and its work.

Campaign Objectives:
•    To build valuable relationship with key social media influencers who will serve as Habitat’s spokespersons online.
•    To boost Habitat’s presence and visibility in key social media sites.
•    To reach a wider audience online— increase Facebook likes and Twitter/Instagram followers.
•    To utilize social media channels as a potential tool to drive donations, volunteer sign-ups, and advocacy support.

By signing Habitat’s Pledge of Commitment willing bloggers and guests were tagged “Habitat Online Champion” a title reserved for those who are up for the challenge and journey of using their influence and network to spread the word about Habitat, its programs, and advocacies.

Regular “Social Media Circle” gathering will be held to share news and updates with these Online Champions.

Following the success last year's fundraiser event, former Philmug chairman Elbert Cuenca announced in his Facebook account that Cook Out, Help Out is back. Set to happen on January 24 to 26 at the Plaza Drive, Power Plant Mall. Ticket are sold P300 each; available at Elbert's Cheesesteak Sandwiches, Bacchus Epicerie and Power Plant's admin office.

Global non-profit shelter organization Habitat for Humanity today signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Philippine government’s National Housing Authority and the City of Tacloban for a rebuilding project following Typhoon Haiyan. At this project site Habitat will build 852 houses for families that lost their homes to the natural disaster that struck the Visayas region of the Philippines two months ago.

“Signing this agreement in Taclobanis a major step in Habitat for Humanity’s long-term rebuilding efforts following Haiyan. Safe, decent shelter provides the platform on which much of post-disaster assistance is built – health, water, sanitation, livelihoods, safety, education – and is one of the most pressing issues currently facing Haiyan-affected families,” said Rick Hathaway, Habitat for Humanity Asia-Pacific Vice President.

Over the coming weeks and months, Habitat will continue its disaster response efforts and aims to distribute up to 30,000 shelter repair kits and build 30,000 homes, depending on availability of funding.

The 852 homes will be built at a 10-hectare resettlement site in the barangay (municipal ward) of Kawayan, provided by the City of Tacloban.

Shelter repair kits contain plywood, lumber, galvanized iron sheeting, hammer, handsaw and nails. Habitat provides training of safe building practices when conducting shelter repair kit distributions.

Donations can be made at http://www.give2habitat.org/philippines/ReBuildPhilippines