The event name WARAY ngaRUN is derived from a waray-waray dialect phrase “waray ngaran” meaning “nameless”. The marathon, which will be held on 28 June in Tacloban, the city in the Philippines devastated by Typhoon Haiyan-Yolanda in November 2013, aims not only to commemorate the lives of the many nameless victims who perished in the disaster but also to give courage to people to go ahead. One main objective is to involve the youth as protagonists in the reconstruction of the life of the town. The event will began with a solidarity run at 6.00am followed by a fair and several exhibitions during the day concluding with a “Solidarity Night”. There will be presentations of inspiring experiences from different personalities and groups who in one way or another have been heroes in their own right during and after the typhoon. Different stakeholders of the city are also expected to attend: local waray artists, bands and talented individuals, as well as students and teachers from private and government organizations. The proceeds of the event will be donated to the “Start Again Project”, promoted by Youth for a United World (Y4UW), which aims to help rebuild the spirits, lives and communities of the typhoon-struck areas in the Visayas regions with a 7-point plan:
- Roofing for schools
- School supplies drive
- Yolanda memorial
- Potable water systems
- Higher education programs
- Soup kitchen
- Medical mission
The idea for the event was a fruit of the experience of unity shared with members of the Gen Rosso band when they came to hold workshops and performances in Tacloban as part of their Philippines Solidarity Tour 2014. “When the Start Again Project was launched to bring help to different parts of Leyte, including our community in Tacloban,” the young people write, “we felt strongly the need to reciprocate this love by doing a concrete activity that will help continue fund the various projects. And with this WARAY ngaRUN, we feel that we are no longer recipients but active collaborators.” Facebook: WARAYngaRUN2014
0 Comments