Project Maschera: A Face Mask Donation Drive

Written by: IPDD Solomon Hermoso Rotaract Club of Balintawak

Every citizen is tasked to be equipped with the necessary tools to fight and combat the prevailing COVID19 pandemic. In line with this, the Rotaract Club of Balintawak is launching Project Maschera: A Face Mask Donation Drive for the benefit of its chosen beneficiaries to help fight against COVID19. The general objective of the project is to distribute through donation drive facemasks to residents of Barangay Balingasa in Quezon City. Because of the dire need to provide oneself with facemask, this project can eventually help in the prevention of the spread of virus in the said locality among the residents. The facemasks shall be given to less fortunate residents of the barangay or even in the below-poverty sector of the community who could not afford to secure themselves with face masks.

The government’s call for wearing face mask in all public or private areas and outside the respective homes is mandatory. It is saddening to see that some people could not even afford to purchase facemask and for this reason the Rotaract Club of Balintawak has come up with this project to help beneficiaries from violating the law and be safe and healthy and prevent themselves from contracting the virus. Target beneficiaries are residents of Barangay Balingasa. A fund raising program is launched among the Rotarians who would donate in cash or in kind (facemasks). Whatever total cash collected shall be used to purchase the facemasks with cheaper price to gain more volumes of the product.

The fundraising program started in August 2020 in time with the quarantine periods. The project proposal was presented to the Rotarians who manifested support and overwhelming generosity. They allowed us to use some funds from the club funds to purchase more face masks and other medical necessities because of the rising cases in the vicinity.

With coordination with the Barangay Balingasa Officials, the distribution of the facemasks among the residents or beneficiaries shall be undertaken by the barangay staff and members. The Rotaract members have decided to hand over the facemasks to the said barangay because the members of Rotaract cannot do so in line with the IATF law of “ no gathering” and all donations shall have to be coordinated with the local barangays or municipalities. The project shall continue until the month of July 2021 unless the next leadership in line shall decide to go on with the said project to help the people of the barangay and to help in the prevention of the spread of virus in the said locality thereby decreasing the number of Covid cases.