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Children affected by the devastating flash floods and accompanied by their parents have their fingers marked with ink prior to receiving relief foods at a covered court, serving as a temporary evacuation centre in Cagayan de Oro, southern island of Mindanao on December 22, 2011. Survivors of devastating flash floods in the southern Philippines face growing threats from disease, officials warned on December 21 , as the toll of dead and missing tops a thousand. Image Credit: AFP

Dubai: Your few minutes of walking and Dh50 might just give a fresh start to Typhoon Washi victims in the southern Philippines. So, put on your walking shoes and head to Safa Park this Friday for the Hakbang Buhay (Walk for Life) charity event. 

"Our only goal for this Friday's walk is to raise very badly needed funds for the Philippine Red Cross to be used to help the flood victims in the Philippines," Lucille Ong, president of the UAE-based Philippine Business Council (PBC) organising the event, told Gulf News. 

Filipinos have been reeling from the effects of the Typhoon Washi for more than two weeks now since the typhoon ravaged southern Philippines. More than 1,000 people died, 4,000 seriously injured, and almost a hundred people are still missing. Damages to infrastructure, agriculture, and school buildings were estimated at more than 1 trillion pesos. 

Filipinos and other nationalities are welcome to take part in the charity walk in Dubai, which will start at 7am and end at 11am on Friday. Registration booths will be set up at Gate 4 of Safa Park.

The charity walk is being held with the support of the UAE Red Crescent, the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department, and the Consulate General of the Republic of the Philippines. 

In 2009, PBC initiated a similar charity event in aid of the victims of Typhoon Ketsana. Other nationalities also came to show support. 

"During the walk alone, we were able to raise Dh250,000. But in total, we were able to get Dh525,000 including corporation donations that came after. All the money was sent to the Red Crescent," Ong added. 

Donations in kind 

The Filipino Community in Dubai and the Northern Emirates (Filcom-DNE), the umbrella organisation of 99 Filipino groups, were able to gather 23 jumbo boxes containing relief goods last weekend. 

Filcom-DNE said they are now accepting used clothing as donations based on the Philippine Consulate General (PCG) advisory "as long as they are consigned thru the Department of Social Welfare and Development."

Earlier, donors got confused on whether or not they could send used clothing as the PCG had issued an advisory prohibiting people from sending used clothing.