MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine offices of WPP companies Group M, Taylor Nelson Sofres, J. Walter Thompson, Ogilvy & Mather, Bates, Kantar, Kinetic, Maxxus, Milward Brown, Mindshare, Movent, Safron Hill, Wunderman and Campaigns & Grey have teamed up with Gawad Kalinga, a local movement that aims to end poverty for five million families through community development, to build houses for families in Sitio Kalinaw, Old Sagay, Negros Occidental.
Old Sagay was one of the six towns in Negros Occidental hit by Typhoon Haiyan two years ago. In the aftermath of the typhoon, approximately 5,000 families were displaced and hundreds of fishermen lost their livelihood.
The WPP companies donated a total of Php5.44 million (US$363,000) to Gawad Kalinga to support its rebuilding efforts in Sitio Kalinaw, Old Sagay. The WPP donation will support the construction of 30 typhoon-proof row houses, as well as a multi-purpose hall. Construction has begun earlier in the year, with all of the houses already constructed.
According to Gawad Kalinga Western Visayas Area Coordinator Binsoy Rivera, the project aims not only to rebuild houses, but also to develop a more sustainable source of livelihood for the families in Sitio Kalinaw. “The town of Sagay is known for eco-tourism and environmental protection. In fact, 34,000 hectares of seas are protected,” shared Rivera. “Our goal is to create a loop connecting the communities and encourage eco-tourists to visit and to do homestays.”
In addition to supporting the rebuilding efforts, over 40 volunteers from Group M, Taylor Nelson Sofres, J. Walter Thompson, and Ogilvy & Mather recently visited the Gawad Kalinga-Sitio Kalinaw village to interact with the community, paint the 20 completed houses, and break ground on the multi-purpose hall.
“We would like to thank the people of Sitio Kalinaw for accepting us as their partners for this rebuilding project. We are proud to be part of this endeavor and to have this opportunity to give back to those in need,” said JWT Philippines Director for Finance, Admin, and IT Jeff Sulit, who led the project. “We hope that this would be the start of an enduring relationship.”