The Junior Chamber International (JCI) – Surigao Nickel, a non-government organization, launched on Tuesday a project that will allow victims of Typhoon Odette in Barangay Union, Dapa, Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte to borrow basic carpentry and masonry tools to repair their damaged houses.
“This project is our intervention to help ‘Odette’s’ victims by providing them the necessary tools to rebuild their houses and lives. We aim to go to village after village to optimize the use of tools,” JCI Surigao Nickel president Felix Vincent Chua III said of the project dubbed “Toolong Project: Building Homes, Building Lives.”
“Toolong” is derived from the word “tool”, with the “ONG” representing the “Organized Network Group”.
Aside from tools, the project will also lend chainsaws for free but the borrower needs to shoulder the operational fee which costs PHP1,500 for a team of chainsaw operators.
“We believe that achieving victory in this crisis wrought by super Typhoon Odette starts with small acts of good deeds, and as JCI members, we should be the dealers of hope to the people,” Chua told the Philippine News Agency on Wednesday.
The group also installed tents along the road of Barangay Union where villagers can easily borrow the tools.
On the launch of the project, at least 50 sets of tools were made available for lending to the villagers of Barangay Union.
Roel Catoto, the chairperson of the project, said he requested assistance from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) through the agency’s TESDAmayan.
The TESDAmayan is the agency’s banner program that aims to aid communities affected by any crisis caused by natural calamities, disasters, or any other untoward incidents that resulted in the displacement of residents.
Source: Philippines News Agency
