WASHINGTON, D.C. — To address the growing impact of natural and manmade disasters exacerbated by the effects of climate change, the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) has piloted a program to coordinate Filipino diaspora groups across the United States. The program, FilAm Alerts, is an effort to streamline and efficiently coordinate resources and relief programs for the benefit of the Philippines.
The FilAm Alerts Program was unveiled at the annual Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Week (HNPW) in Geneva, Switzerland, held May 16-20, together with the Framework for Diaspora Engagement in Humanitarian Assistance, launched by NaFFAA’s parent partner, the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The program and Framework received recognition from the international humanitarian community, including humanitarian delegates from Ukraine and other participating countries, and recently received a nomination for IOM’s Global Innovation Awards.
NaFFAA’s President and National Chair Brendan Flores and FilAm Alerts Program Director Katrina Hernandez were among the many humanitarian delegates and presenters at this year’s HNPW. As Flores highlighted in the Innovation Awards video, “NaFFAA’s founders sought to represent Filipino-Americans 25 years ago. With the support of IOM, we’ve targeted specific challenges in providing humanitarian relief to the Philippines.”
“Through this Framework for Diaspora Engagement in Humanitarian Assistance, we identified succinct solutions and effective tools for coordination,” Flores added. “We were able to set up a sustainable and strategic plan for immediate response and recovery. These include our national SMS engagement system following crises in the Philippines and the development of a humanitarian council to streamline coordination amongst U.S.-based Filipinos. From every Filipino here and abroad, thank you for your support in making the FilAmAlerts Program what it is today and what it will bring to our countrymen for years to come.”
For over two years, NaFFAA has facilitated the formation of the FilAmAlerts Program together with the help of other community leaders representing the Filipino diaspora in the United States. This program calls for national coordination of all humanitarian relief efforts in the Philippines, inviting all organizations to communicate on a single platform. Together, resources and supply information about relief efforts will be available, so relief efforts are most efficient and effective in answering the needs of affected communities. Supported by the IOM both in the United States and the Philippines, as well as the Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines in the United States, and with funding from USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, FilAm Alerts aims to reach all Filipinos in the United States.
NaFFAA is seeking community leaders to be a part of this global initiative to facilitate a more efficient process for humanitarian relief to the Philippines. For more information on the Humanitarian Council or Advocate Circle, please contact NaFFAA Special Projects Program Director Katrina Juco-Hernandez.
Since 1997, the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) has been the standard-bearer for promoting the welfare and well-being of the four million Filipinos and Filipino Americans throughout the United States. NaFFAA is the largest non-partisan, non-profit organization and national affiliation of Filipino American institutions, umbrella organizations, and individuals. Its fourteen-member regions cover the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and the Pacific Islands.
To learn more about NaFFAA and its programs, or to become a member, visit www.naffaa.org.
