Bayanihan in Netherlands featured at London School of Economics

On 6 May 2020, London School of Economics and Polical Science, a Universtiy based in England, featured Filipino Bayanihan on an article where Filipino LGBT Europe – Ayuda sa Amsterdam work in Amsterdam was mentioned.

Excerpt from the article below:

Bayanihan, the much-cherished Filipino spirit of solidarity, civic unity and cooperation, is not confined to the bayan (town or country). It transcends borders, hanggang sa ibang bayan (all the way to other towns or countries). Lalaine Siruno (United Nations University) explains how the Filipino migrant community in the Netherlands have done a great deal to help their undocumented compatriots, who are excluded from formal social protection mechanisms. But community solidarity alone cannot be enough.

In May 2020, 16 Filipino community organisations based in the Netherlands formed the FILCOM-NL Alliance. Members tapped into their personal networks to collect donations in cash and in kind, all of which they distributed to their undocumented kababayan (fellow Filipinos) in need. The Embassy of the Philippines in The Hague also contributed to the effort. The biggest support is being provided by Red Cross Netherlands which has distributed food packs and nearly 54,000 grocery vouchers, usually worth €15, to people across the country whose incomes have been decimated by the pandemic.

For Filipinos, the distribution of emergency food aid has been consolidated into two main locations – one in Amsterdam, led by Filipino LGBT Europe with an average of 400 recipients every week, and another in The Hague organised by FILMIS, MCVO, and SARO Community with about 100 recipients. Some restrictions have been eased since the first lockdown, but life has not returned to normal for many UMDWs. Eliza has been receiving aid from the Red Cross since May 2020. The grocery vouchers enable her to get by while she sends her meagre earnings back home. “I don’t need expensive food and I could buy a lot with €15. I’m really grateful to the Red Cross and all the volunteers,” said Eliza.