Pulilan, Bulacan's Youth Volunteers Are Helping Those in Need While Social Distancing
The 65 youth volunteers of Bayanihan Pulilan are taking matters into their hands, offering help to those in need amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Pulilan, Bulacan. The organization's initiative is a non-partisan one, and it's been done with the help of a donation drive.
The movement goes beyond physical help. Bayanihan Pulilan also offers free online public services such as the medical consultation, legal aid, mental health support, dental consultation, medicine availability inquiry, art exhibit, store directory, bulletin board, and creative COVID-19 solutions—and the group has managed to do it all safely from their homes.
"Both our donation drive and free public services are done online," the group says. "The Bayanihan Pulilan volunteers have never met in person since we started this initiative. We take advantage of technology to minimize the physical interaction among donors, volunteers, and beneficiaries. Cash donations are transferred through online banking, while donations in kind are picked-up from the donors and delivered to the recipients efficiently through the assistance of our LGUs."
The organization is composed of young professionals such as doctors, lawyers, nurses, engineers, dentists, pharmacists, media practitioners, artists, architects, bankers, teachers, and businessmen and women, among others.
"With the ECQ, we saw the need for local private sector initiatives that use technology to reach the indigents and frontliners in far-flung areas. While there are more-established organizations and movements, it might be difficult for them to reach out to the LGUs in remote locations due to the lockdowns and checkpoints. Moreover, as the COVID-19 pandemic is a nationwide problem, the residents have no other option but to start a bayanihan within their own localities," says Bayanihan Pulilan's Aljo Dolores.
Along with helping indigents as well as health workers and frontliners, Dolores hopes the initiative can inspire other youth to do the same within their municipalities. Check out Bayanihan Pulilan's Facebook page for more information.
