MANILA, PHILIPPINES – If there’s one good thing coming out of the chaos that is the Coronavirus outbreak, it’s that many citizen-led initiatives are rising, offering up any sort of solution they can provide. From food donations to designing Personal Protective Equipment – organizations, companies, and ordinary citizens have come together to fill the gap on what is still needed to contain the pandemic.
So to help further encourage this pay-it-forward attitude that is slowly taking over our social media feeds, we’ve come up with a list of creative and citizen-led efforts you can support.
Disclaimer: While adobo magazine has done its own research and has vetted the groups below, we encourage everyone to do their own background checks before donating or volunteering.
1. Benilde Fashion Design and Merchandising
The Manila-based school is creating PPEs and other medical gear for our frontline healthcare workers, donating to hospitals including the PGH. They are currently in need of more supplies and are asking donations from the community whether in cash or kind. The school is now asking for assistance in delivery, as well as packaging for the PPEs that need to be sent.
2. UP CFA Fablab and FabShields
The UP College of Fine Arts’ Fablab and their FabShields program together with the Acacia dormitory have been providing open source designs for face shields while helping provide parts and donations to other 3D printers in the city.
There are more designs on their Facebook page that both those with 3D printing technologies and people at home with basic tools can create either for their own use or for contributing to workers at the frontlines.
An online group on Facebook is calling all 3D printers in the city to come together and build protective gear that frontliners can use.
The public group has now become a repository of people and communities that share spare parts and supplies with each other so that all of them can help provide PPEs and face shields to hospitals around the country. The group is also asking for donations as well as volunteers who can help either build more supplies or distribute them to hospitals in need.
Although already a thousand members strong, this volunteer Facebook group is calling on creatives from all corners of the Philippines to help on an information campaign that could help more Filipinos understand the true dangers of the virus, and how to prevent them. The group is actively looking for people who can help better translate, as well as design the messaging needed.
A co-working space inhabited by members of the local creative community, Warehouse Eight took immediate action alongside other organizations as soon as community quarantine measures were enacted. Warehouse Eight is currently pooling donations to provide food and medical gear to their beneficiaries, while actively partnering with groups like 2KK Tulong sa Kapwa Kapatid Foundation and Extreme Response Manila Home.
Branding and design studio And A Half spearheaded the launch of Help From Home PH, an online directory listing various initiatives to help those affected by the #COVID19 pandemic. The page is catalogued by beneficiary and purpose, further narrowed down the different ways we can help those who risk their lives everyday facing the virus.
Another group active on Facebook, Bounce Back PH consists of individuals who are taking matters into their own hands and are looking to collaborate with other groups too. The works vary from crafting masks, 3D printing tools, creating PPEs, and food donation drives.
8. Manila Protective Gear Sewing Club
Designer Kendi Maristela, together with the Manila Protective Gear Sewing Club and The Open Source Medical Supplies medical team has created an open source design after reverse engineering a PPE. The design, which people can download from the link above, can be used to create one’s own PPE or manufacture them for donations. The Manila Protective Gear Sewing Club has so far donated their output to different organizations, including ones working with the Office of the Vice President.
Hello guys!! I'll be opening commissions to help our medical frontliners in this fight against COVID-19.
Just donate a minimum amount of 500PHP to any of the causes below and get a FREE digital illustration!
Let's do our part and PLEASE STAY SAFE!! ✨#ArtForMedPH pic.twitter.com/M4O88gqCLZ
— aishchrome (@aishchrome) March 30, 2020
https://twitter.com/ferrer__a/status/1243190366745985026?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpaperusercontent.com%2Fintegrations%2Fembed%2Fiframe%2Ftweet%3Fid%3D1243190366745985026
https://twitter.com/raesoop/status/1243520379177615364
An ongoing trend on Twitter is riding on the #ArtForMedPH movement, where artists create or send free artworks to people who either help them pool donations or send them proof of donations to charities of their choice.
Got a community or website you think should be on this page? Send your suggestions in via our Facebook or Twitter.
Want to learn about brands supporting COVID-19 relief efforts? Here’s a Twitter thread you can follow:
What companies are doing good as we cope with #COVID19?
A thread of brand stories we stan, and companies we can support as consumers and creatives.
— adobo magazine (@adobomagazine) March 23, 2020
Are you a creative looking for freelance work that you can do during the enhanced community quarantine period? Check collection of resources below:
