Since super typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan) struck the Visayas region on November 8, 2013, a number of fundraisers to aid the victims have sprung up.
Nearly five months later, whatever has been collected—whether from local or international efforts—is still not enough to support the massive relief and rehabilitation of the affected areas.
This is the reason why many organizations continue to do what they can to help the victims rebuild their lives.
On April 6, 2014, a consortium of international and Filipino artists will open the Haiyan International Fundraising Art Exhibition 2014.
This exhibition, which features art works from over 40 international artists and 17 Filipino artists, showcases the support from the art community from around the world for the victims of Yolanda.
The exhibition was conceptualized last December, when Singapore National Artist Goh Beng Kwan, Filipino artist Florence Cinco, and other artists from the ASEAN region convened to celebrate the 86th birthday of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Thailand.
Exhibition participants include Ilseon Ryu of Korea, Trinh Tuan of Vietnam, Wattanachot Tungateja of Thailand, and Grete Marstein of Norway.
The exhibition is organized and curated by a Filipino team, including Florence Cinco, Red Mansueto, and Aimee Villas Adalla.
Each of the artists participating in the Haiyan International Fundraising Art Exhibition 2014 has contributed an artwork in support of the ongoing relief and reconstruction efforts in the Visayas region.
All proceeds from the art works sold during the exhibition will go to MyShelter Foundation, whose Liter of Light program provides low-cost and simple solar lighting to disaster-stricken areas, creating local jobs, teaching green skills, and empowering local communities.
LITER OF LIGHT. Since Yoland struck, thousands of people have lived without electricity. As a result, women feel unsafe, children cannot study at night, and households remain dependent on expensive or unreliable forms of lighting (i.e., kerosene, candles) to survive.
In the most devastated communities, these alternative energy sources have already run out.
MyShelter Foundation was the first organization to respond to the immediate need for lighting in Palo, Leyte, providing the cheapest form of lighting through its Liter of (Night) Lights and street lamps, which were assembled and installed in the community within 40 days of the disaster.
Liter of Light’s efforts to aid the typhoon victims focus on assembling and installing night lights and street lamps for 228 bunkhouses in Leyte and Samar, the areas most affected by the calamity.
At a cost of just US $9 per beneficiary, MyShelter Foundation’s Liters of Light will bring light and hope to over 27,000 people displaced and affected by the storm.
Haiyan International Fundraising Art Exhibition 2014 runs from April 6-26, 2014 at Galleria Duemila in 210 Loring Street, Pasay City.
For more information, please call Tel. No. +63 2 831 9990; Telefax No. +63 2 833 9815 and look for Thess Ponce or Mark Arvin Patiag. You can also contact via e-mail at gduemila@gmail.com or check out www.galleriaduemila.com for more details and events.
For more information on the Haiyan International Fundraising Art Exhibition 2014, visit Facebook.com/HaiyanInternationalArtFundraisingExhibition2014.
For more information on the Liter of Light and MyShelter Foundation, visit www.aliteroflight.org or e-mail info@aliteroflight.org or contact Ami Valdemoro ami@1LiterOfLight.org