By Jennifer C. Tilos
DUMAGUETE CITY, March 18 (PIA) -- Some 120 houses are expected to be built during the 5th Gawad Kalinga (GK) Bayani Challenge from April 9-14 in Amlan, Negros Oriental.
GK Bayani Challenge event head Roslyn Tambago said priority beneficiaries of the GK houses are victims ofTropical Storm Sendong victims in barangay Tambuhangin and other riverside barangays in Amlan.
The organizer expects 2,000 volunteers from the locals and other areas overseas such as USA, Australia, Singapore, and Cambodia to register with the program.
The GK Bayani Challenge is a five-day test of courage, endurance and love for country that Gawad Kalinga has staged annually since 2006.
Teams of 15 people go on an adventure to plant hope on ground by building sustainable communities, fostering friendships, and transforming lives that are critical to nation building, said Tambago.
Anchored on the theme “Pilipinas , Ngayon Na!”, this year’s GK Bayani Challenge is expected to gather about 10,000 volunteers from various parts of the country and the world for the provinces of Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Masbate, Mindoro Occidental and Negros Oriental.
The activity will not only focus on building houses, but also on preserving the environment through coastal cleanup, mangrove and tree planting.
During this weeklong challenge in building houses for flood victims, simultaneous activities will be held that include feeding program, story-telling sessions, games, and sports clinic for children aged six to ten years old in the area.
The public schools in the area will also be refurbished; some volunteers will paint walls, landscaped gardens, and repair tables and chairs to make schools conducive to learning, Tambago said. (mbcn/JCT/PIA-Negros Oriental)