SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Filipino pop star Kitchie Nadal is set to perform a benefit concert for Young Pioneer Disaster Response (YPDR), a disaster response organization based in the Philippines that is being hailed the most success startup NGO of 2014, at the Pistahan Parade & Festival in San Francisco on August 9th and 10th.
Nadal, winner of four MTV music awards with a double platinum album to her name, is a huge supporter and former volunteer of YPDR. Nadal will also appear at an after party for the organization at the Rosewood Bar in San Francisco on Sunday at 7pm. The singer and the organization hope to generate much needed support for their ongoing efforts on Bantayan Island.
The 21st Annual Pistahan Parade and Festival, billed as the largest celebration of Filipino Americans in the U.S., is a two-day event organized by the Filipino American Arts Exposition, which is expected to draw over 60,000 people each day.
YPDR began on December 7th, 2013, when a group of friends from around the world utilized social media and crowd-funding efforts to put a new spin on disaster relief in order to help Bantayan Island in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan. What began as a small project to rebuild a single school blossomed into a full fledged NGO, now known as Young Pioneer Disaster Response (YPDR), with an impressive resume of results under their belt and a list of big name international NGO partners.
"What we knew when we started YPDR was that people on Bantayan Island really needed help and we were willing to give it. That's exactly what we did and I think the results speak for themselves," said YPDR's President and Co-Founder Christopher White, who will be in San Francisco to attend the Pistahan Festival.
Early on, the group went to work on Santa Fe High School, the worst affected school on the island, before partnering with Polish Humanitarian Action (PAH), Poland's largest NGO, to distribute materials and train local carpenters to build innovative, storm resistant housing. The partnership has resulted in over 850 homes being built so far and 150 carpenters being trained.
Since arriving on the island 8 months ago, YPDR and its 200 volunteers from over 35 countries have rebuilt 5 schools, treated 3,357 patients in conjunction with their partner organization SAMU, a medical NGO from Spain, facilitated the donation of $250,000 USD worth of medical supplies from CarePoint Health, conducted hygiene promotion sessions for 6,000+ children and distributed 10,020 bars of soap, received a $56,000 USD donation from Oxfam for ongoing projects, built and deployed 40 artificial reef structures as a part of their new Marine Restoration Program, rebuilt the three-classroom block at Santa Fe High School in conjunction with PAH, and hired 130 local employees, including 31 local women for a sustainable handicraft initiative, in partnership with the ILO, a division of the United Nations.
The distribution of this release for Young Pioneer Disaster Response was donated by Soluxe Inc.
Media Inquiries:
Katlyn Murray, Co-Founder and Media Director
Young Pioneer Disaster Response
PH: +63 32 9607 US: +1 949 860 9737 US Cell: +1 661 904 6797 media@ypdr.org
Website: www.ypdr.org
Media Package: https://ypdr.sharefile.com/d/s117aefd7d774732b
http://www.facebook.com/YPDRYPDR
www.youtube.com/YPDRYPDR
www.twitter.com/YoungPioneerDR/
https://plus.google.com/+YpdrOrg
www.instagram.com/youngpioneerDR
https://www.flickr.com/photos/ypdr/
Video - http://youtu.be/mqcMXfdQqNc
SOURCE Soluxe Inc.; Young Pioneer Disaster Response
