Dubai Duty Free, through its corporate social responsibility arm, has officially opened the Dubai Duty Free GK Village which aims to provide homes to victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.
The Dubai Duty Free Foundation, in partnership with Gawad Kalinga, a Philippine-based poverty alleviation and nation-building movement, handed over ownership of 32 houses in Binotong, Alangalang, in the province of Leyte in the Philippines.
Following the strongest typhoon that hit the country in November 2013, the super typhoon Haiyan brought substantial damage to the properties, lives, and business in the central region of the country.
With various efforts from foreign governments and international agencies, Dubai Duty Free reached out to Gawad Kalinga to be a part of the rebuilding program.
Dubai Duty Free executive vice chairman, Colm McLoughlin, said: “We are deeply honoured to open the Dubai Duty Free GK Village for the beneficiaries who were victims of typhoon Haiyan and were left homeless.
“The beauty of this project has been that the local people get to participate in the rebuilding process which makes it more meaningful to the families who can see that their personal investment of hard work has created their new home. My thanks to our management and staff who have contributed towards the funding process along with our Foundation,” he said.
The construction of the Dubai Duty Free GK Village started on April 30 2014, five months after the typhoon and was completed on March 30 this year.
The 32 houses are designed to withstand typhoons and earthquakes and are built to a high specification to ensure the safety of the families who will live there.
The village also has utilities, including basic amenities such as streetlights, a community centre and a basketball court.
Beneficiaries are obliged to help take care of the village, including the painting of the houses, beautification of the community, planting ornamental gardens in the vicinity, maintaining cleanliness and peace and order.
The Dubai Duty Free Foundation has supported many charitable initiatives affected by natural disasters including the rebuilding of the Palliyawatta Village in Sri Lanka following the tragedy of the 2004 tsunami.
In 2014, the operation also supported the industry-based charity, Hand in Hand for Haiti, which saw the opening of a $1.5 million Dubai Duty Free Sports Complex.
To date, there are 34 local and 51 overseas charities that Dubai Duty Free has supported since 2004.
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