Craig Burrows and the Rope of Hope Saving Lives in Rizal

Before the Ondoy Disaster this same person became my guide and save me from my own negative view of myself at a time when I am also undergoing a crisis.  Craig Burrows was a man which will jump at the first instance he sees someone in need of help.  He does not base his decision on anything but just on the plain need to help someone.

Today, let me share a story about Craig Burrows and the Rope of Hope which have saved countless lives in the villages of Rizal.

Rope of hope saves lives in Rizal village
By Sunshine Lichauco de Leon 

Manila, Philippines – When throw a rope to save people in crisis, that rope must not only be long enough to reach them, but also strong enough to withstand the pull of all their needs.

In the case of the 7,111 families who became tropical storm “Ondoy” victims in Barangay (village) San Jose in Rodriquez (formerly Montalban), Rizal, this sturdy rope was a result of unprecedented team work from the most unlikely of partnerships – local government, an NGO and private organizations donating an endless supply of goods.

The relationship began during the night of the storm, when Craig Burrows, a British ex-pat who runs the Asian Students Christian Foundation’s Mango Children’s Home and Papaya School, used these buildings as an evacuation center. Thousands fled here to take shelter.

When his team started to think about survival logistics, they discovered they had no electricity and ran out of food and water. Turning to the local government for help, they made radio contact with San Jose Barangay Captain Roger Frias.

Burrows describes his first interaction with Frias which gave him the first hint that there was something different about this local politician.

“Instead of asking me for money or giving me excuses, he told me I can have an ambulance and that I can ferry as much fresh water as I wanted to the evacuation center,” Burrows says.

Frias also went to the school to see the situation for himself. He made no speeches; he just wanted to check on everyone. What happened next showed that he was a man of determined action as well as kind words.

Read the COMPLETE ARTICLE HERE.

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