Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Two Angels Need Our Help


I can't bear hearing a baby cry.

It's not that I hate listening to their shrieks but it's because I lost my first child saying goodbye to me with a cry for help as I held on her tiny right hand until her last breath.

The pain still lingers within me. I could have had a 5-year old daughter calling me daddy today asking me to bring her to the mall for a treat... for a new dress... for a cute doll.

But I know she's in a better place now looking over me, her mom and younger brother Charles.

A few weeks ago, a good friend and I had a chat online. It was not the usual friendly bantering when we talk about our projects, upcoming events and stuff. She opened up something personal... something unimaginable that despite in the smiley emoticons in our thread, I know that every word she typed in breaks her heart.

She just don't know how her story crushed my heart, too.

In a nutshell, here's the dilemma that my friend and her family is undergoing right now: Two new family members, 2-month old John Cyrus and 1-month old Kaniel Makeen, are fighting for their lives and both need a liver transplant.   

We all know how much is the cost of such procedure and its maintenance after the operation. And to have two loved ones suffering similar conditions at the same time is such a situation seems unbearable.

But the family is hanging on and vowed to face this battle and needs all the help they can get. They might be emotionally and financially bruised but they still have the fighting spirit and high hopes to overcome such adversary.

For now, sharing their story is the least that I can do. If you wish to help the family, a detailed post and info on how to reach them can be found at Our Priceless Treasures.



Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Purchase an App, Support an Educational Program

Certificate hows users how their $1 
is making a difference in Bangladesh.

UNIQLO, a leading global Japanese retail holding company that designs, manufactures and sells clothing under five brands, announces the release of The Value of $1 Android application for smartphones on March 29, the latest initiative in its growing social business program. This initiative extends UNIQLO’s partnership with social business pioneer Grameen by offering smartphone users around the world an opportunity to support educational programs for children in Bangladesh through a single US dollar or equivalent in local currencies.

The Value of $1 project is based on the concept of connecting people around the world through the value of investing one US dollar. By simply purchasing The Value of $1 Android application, smartphone users can directly participate in a social business in a new way. The app supports several languages including English, Japanese, French, Korean and Chinese (simplified and traditional) and will be available to smartphone users around the world for $1 via the Android Market online store.

All the proceeds from the first 10,000* sales of the app will go towards the production of fun learning T-shirts and study booklets designed to promote literacy among children in Bangladesh. Sales of the app will enable Grameen UNIQLO to sell learning sets worth $2 for the equivalent of $1 in local currency. The entire process from manufacturing to marketing will be handled locally and any profits will be reinvested by Grameen UNIQLO into projects designed to contribute to Bangladeshi society through the local production and marketing of clothing.
An App that teaches Bengali language

Smartphone users who register for the project through the app receive an electronic certificate of participation. The certificate will track the progress of the production and marketing process giving participants the opportunity to actually see their $1 investment at work. Users of the app can also download a fun electronic learning aid for Bengali--the official language of Bangladesh.

The pay version of The Value of $1 app is limited to first 10,000 participants. A free version of the app will be available for download after the project ends.  The app costs the equivalent of $1 US. Local currency conversion is calculated based on the exchange rates when sales of the app begin. If the local price after the exchange conversion is below the minimum price permitted on the local Android Market, the app will be priced at the lowest permitted price for that region. For more information about The Value of $1 Android app, please visit: http://www.grameenuniqlo.com

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Bong Pascasio of Grin Department needs our help

Oh shampoo, day! May libre kang toothpaste! May libre kang toothbrush!

Love it or hate it but 90's babies can't deny the fact that this double meaning song lyrics was just too tempting not to be chanted especially during drinking sessions with friends.

It's from one of the many catchy songs by Grin Department, a band who out of no where conquered the airwaves and walkmans some 20 years ago.  Iskin, Iniwan. Syota ng Bayan, Di ko alam... the list goes on.  Now, I feel like doing a GD marathon.

Now here's the thing, I saw in Facebook a plea from Gege Pascacio, daughter of Bong who was the lead vocal of the band.  Currently, Bong is confined at the Sta. Ana Hospital in Manila due to Chronic Abdominal Decease and needs to go through a surgery anytime soon.

His family is at their lowest nowadays since their house in Sta. Mesa was burned into ashes after a big fire hit their area recently.  They were not able to save anything and are in deep financial problem.

Anyone can help by either donating type AB blood or Php 1,500 for each of the eight (8) blood bags that Bong needs.  I'm pretty sure they need more help than this since after the operation, medications will still be required for Bong.

I hope his friends from the music industry can read this post.  If you think you can help the Pascasio family, you can reach Aling Sylvia, Bong's mother at tel. no. 0946-8837508.

I hope Bong can overcome this trial and will be given another chance to showcase his talent.  I want to hear him sing again this lyrics from his song Barkada:

"...ang kalokohan ay di mawawala
hindi na dapat pinag iisipan pa
lahat tayo ay dapat magsaya!"

 

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Earth Hour 2012: I Will If You WIll campaign



The ‘I Will If You Will’ campaign empowers people to share a personal dare with the world by asking everyone what are you willing to do to save the planet?

The concept of ‘I Will If You Will’ centers around providing a social contract between two parties – connecting one person, business or organization to a ‘promise’ and their friends, family, customers or members to a ‘challenge’ – uniting them behind the common goal of creating a positive environmental outcome.

WWF-Philippines encourages you to share your ‘I Will If You Will’ dare publicly through social media. Post it on Facebook, upload it on Youtube, tag your friends on Twitter! Friends can be invited to participate and accept each challenge using these popular social networks.

The simple promise can range from recycling, to switching to energy-efficient light bulbs, turning off your mobile charger, or vowing to go paperless.


 HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN ‘I WILL IF YOU WILL’ STATEMENT

Have your own ‘I Will If You Will’ statement through the following simple steps:

1. Come up with your own ‘I Will If You Will’ challenge! For example: “I will bike to work everyday instead of taking my car if you will pledge to live green and like the WWF-Philippines page!”

2. Download TEMPLATE 1 and edit it on Photoshop. Type your ‘I Will If You Will’ challenge.

3. Save the file in .JPEG format.

4. Post it on your Facebook page and on the WWF-Philippines Facebook page! Tag your friends and ask them to come up with their own ‘I Will If You Will’ statements too!

Don’t have Photoshop? Not a problem!

1. Download TEMPLATE 2  and open it on Microsoft Powerpoint. You can also download TEMPLATE 3 and open it on Microsoft Paint. Edit and type your own ‘I Will If You Will’ challenge.

2. Save the slide as a .JPEG file.

3. Post it on your Facebook page and on the WWF-Philippines Facebook page! Tag your friends and ask them to come up with their own ‘I Will If You Will’ statements too!