It's arrived!
Can't really explain what this shipment will mean for the people who are suffering from the Typhoon and in need of help. It's an amazing range of products including antibiotics for 80,000 people and oral re-hydration and nutritionals for people who haven't been getting enough food and water.
It's unreal the efforts that have been put into this to make it happen. From the companies donating the products, to FedEx donating the plane, to the countless hours of staff time, and to the incredible generosity of the people and companies we have met here who are providing us trucks, warehousing, lodging, and plane rides all for free. The support-- It's been overwhelming.
I have to give a special mention to Lila and Atty Patty who have been our fixers, travel agents, press office, translators, historians, and negotiators for everything we've done here. They say the new company they're forming is going to be called "Challenge Accepted"
What's amazing about all this support is that it's enabled our response so far to be extremely efficient. Almost everything has been free. Thanks to the donations from health care companies and air freight from FedEx, we've been able to deliver over $10 million worth of medications essentially for free. It should make anyone who donated money to Direct Relief feel extremely good about the use of those funds. That often doesn't happen in the aid world.
Even right now, we are on the road to deliver a truckload to northern Cebu and a it was donated by DB Shenker, a global freight forwarding company. Same for the IPI warehouse where it's all being stored.
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