This mission trip is especially poignant to us at the Bayanihan Foundation Worldwide: our Philippine liaison Evelyn Castillo, a public health nurse, lost her home and her daughter was swept away by the giant waves. In spite of her own circumstances, she unhesitatingly reached out to others.  I spoke with Evelyn yesterday morning, in preparation for our meeting in Tacloban.  To our relief, she had just learned that her daughter miraculously survived by hanging onto a fragment of a tin roof. 

The Bayanihan Foundation Worldwide was established in 2010, with its mission “to enable Filipinos to improve their lives in empowering and sustaining ways.”  Given the seriousness of the situation, I feel now is the time to broaden our constituency base to include Americans of all backgrounds, in order to continue making a difference in the lives of individuals affected by the work of Bayanihan Foundation Worldwide.  During my trip, I plan to take photos of the relief efforts we are involved in, document personal stories, and to share observations online – raise further awareness of the plight of the Philippine typhoon survivors, and possible forecast.

The task ahead is daunting, but Bayanihan is committed to achieving humanitarian aims.  With this goal in mind, I so appreciate any thoughts you may have on what would be particularly important for me to do on this trip.

I will be checking in from the road as much as possible, and look forward to hearing from you.

 Sincerely,

Dale Asis                                                                                                                                               President and Founder                                                                                                                     Bayanihan Foundation Woldwide