Doy Bags Cooperative suffers severe flood damage See How you can help, see updates

Severe flood damage, 26th Sept 2009 Click here to read the most recent update Many of you will have read about and seen TV news footage of the terrible flooding in the Philippines caused by typhoon Ketsana (known in the Philippines as Ondoy). The Doy Bags cooperative is located in one of the worst affected areas. Thankfully all the cooperative's members have been accounted for and are safe, but tragically two members of the wider community have lost their lives in the floods.

A member of the cooperative wades through waist-high water in what was the ground floor of the production building. Rolls of salvaged juice pack material can be seen on the left.

The Sorting Department and storage areas have been the worst affected by the floods. Heaps of juice pack material covered in sludge can be seen towards the rear.

Several of the cooperative's families have lost their homes, most have lost precious furnishings and possessions. The main production building's location next to the river means that the damage has been extensive, and much of the sewing equipment and materials are damaged or destroyed - everything covered with a thick layer of sludge and mud.

One of the cooperative's sewing machine work tables, destroyed by the flood water and mud.

Furniture and belongings piled up outside a cooperative member's home. While many managed to save clothing and personal belongings, valuable furnishings such as mattresses and fridges have been damaged beyond repair.

How you can help 1. Buy Doy Bags! For the cooperative to re-establish itself, and for the recovery to be sustainable, our ladies need plenty of work. You buying Doy Bags means that we can re-start production and get them working and earning full wages again as soon as possible. So with Christmas approaching, please do consider buying Doy Bags for as many people on your list as you can! 2. Send a message of support Take a moment to send a message of support and encouragement to floods@doybags.com. Please don't feel that this is just an empty gesture - it is hard to overestimate how much thoughts and prayers from the other side of the world mean to our ladies, especially in times of crisis like this.

Updates

December 2009 We're delighted to report that the cooperative is slowly but surely recovering from the devastation of typhoon Ondoy. Materials and equipment have been salvaged where possible and the building is slowly being cleaned and made useable again, assisted by local college students who have generously volunteered their time. A huge thank you to all of you who sent messages of support to the cooperative, bought (or will buy!) Doy Bags and/or donated to our flood relief fund. More than £2000 / EUR 2300 / $3300 has been sent to the cooperative. Everyone at the cooperative has been greatly encouraged by the support and they are determined to make 2010 the best year yet.

Local students volunteering time to help with the clean-up

23rd Oct 2009 We are delighted to announce that our flood relief appeal has so far raised more than £500 ($800/Euro 550)! This will be used to aid the families who have lost their homes (or whose homes have been seriously damaged), and to repair and where necessary replace the cooperative’s equipment – the priority being the replacement of the many sewing machines that have been damaged beyond repair by the flood waters. Thank you so much to all those who have been so very generous in your donations. Big or small (and everything in-between), they are all of enormous assistance and are very deeply appreciated. The directors of the cooperative hope to send their personal thanks to all those who have donated in due course.

6th Oct 2009 First the good news - the typhoon Parma has mercifully by-passed Manila, so there has been no further damage. Parma was forecast to be a 'super typhoon' so everyone is extremely relieved! In addition the community has been extremely fortunate in that their power supply has been largely restored and - being on the outskirts of Manila - the city council has been efficient in providing sufficient food and clean drinking water. Due to the availability of clean water, illness has not been a problem, and it is very much hoped that this continues to be the case. The bad news is that 20 homes belonging to members of the cooperative are either destroyed or still under water. The thick mud that coats everything continues to be a big problem. These are resilient, hard working people and they are generally in good spirits, and deeply appreciative of the many, many messages of support they have received, and also the most generous donations. Thank you all! We hope to have a further update on the progress of our appeal shortly.

30th Sept 2009 The flood waters are now receding and the clean-up operation is already underway. A major problem is the thick river mud which is ankle deep in many areas of the Doy Bags compound. Equipment, materials and furnishings that can be salvaged have been moved to safe and dry areas and an inventory is being made of what has been lost. Efforts are being made to salvage and clean some of the juice pack material that has been damaged. More storms are forecast, however it is being reported that they will likely hit further north and won't - we very much hope - affect the current clear up operation.

Beginning the huge clean-up process. The flood waters have mostly receded, leaving a horrible layer of muddy sludge to be removed before anything else can be done.

Cooperative members ankle deep in sludge in the former storage area of the production facility.

trade/reseller inquiries  |  ordering faq  |  contact us

Doy Bags® is a registered trademark of Tasaram Ltd., Unit 6-8, Bury Road, Hatfield, AL10 8BJ, UK Please note: closed in January and early Februay 2012. More e-mail: info@doybags.com (e-mail is our preferred method of communication) Tel.: 011-44-1707-256-184, Fax: 011-44-20-7100-8222, Company no. England 3991124, VAT no. GB 756 2427 21 Please note: All brand names, trademarks and logos used on this site are the property of their respective owners and are used solely for the purpose of identifying and describing the products. Doy Bags Germany  |  © 1999-2012 Doy Bags