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Livestream Fundraising of Jim Paredes

  • 20/06/2020 - 30/06/2020

Jim Paredes is participating in Help Us Provide Food Assistance to 278 Families in Donsol!
and is fundraising for World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines

I'm making a difference by raising money for a cause close to my heart. Please support me by donating.

My Story

Donsol is a third class municipality in the province of Sorsogon, with a population of 49,711 according to the 2015 Census. Local and international tourists know of Donsol because of the whale shark interactions, a common sight during the months of March and April. The presence of the Whale Shark, locally known as the Butanding, has contributed to the improvement of Donsol’s local economy, improving the livelihoods of many people.

The Butanding Interaction Officers, popularly known as the BIO, are the frontliners of Donsol’s whale shark tourism, acting as both tour guides and life guards. They ensure order and safety, making the interactions enjoyable for everyone, even for those who lack swimming skills. As long as the whale sharks regularly visit the waters of Donsol, the BIO will continue to work to provide services for tourism and to help in the protection of the environment.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has taken the world by storm, and its effects have been felt by the entire Philippines, including Donsol. What was once considered as thriving months for tourism have now been turned into periods of quarantine, which has affected not only the whale shark tourism operations but the entire economy of the Donsol community.
Currently, there are around 40-50 BIOs in Donsol, and their livelihoods have been severely affected by this pandemic. Because of the lack of tourism income, they have been struggling to feed their families and to provide for their daily basic needs. Our goal is to help not just the families of our BIOs, but also a total of 200 families in Donsol by providing them with food assistance. And for our BIOs, in order for them to rise above this crisis once the whale shark tourism operations resume, we would be assisting them in the form of new equipment: swimming masks, snorkels, fins, and rashguards. With your help, we can provide these materials needed by our BIO so they can recover and rebuild their livelihoods after the crisis and continue providing quality service to support the economy of the Donsol community.

Let’s protect the protectors of our whale sharks. Together, let’s support our BIOs, and the community of Donsol, as they continue to #ChangeTheEnding for our endangered butandings and their natural habitat!
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Recent Donors

  • Criz Guce

    PHP 2,000 06/21/2020 09:46:59 PM UTC

  • Dolly Pangan Specht

    Thank you for an hour of music!

    USD 45 06/20/2020 04:38:53 AM UTC

  • Maria Solacito

    More power to the Donsol Butanding Information Officers esp. to Mr. Omar Nepomuceno. Thank you Mr.Jim Paredes for the opportunity to help.

    USD 100 06/20/2020 03:18:39 AM UTC

  • Dolly Specht

    USD 100 06/20/2020 02:40:34 AM UTC

  • Violeta Calvert

    Good on you Jim Paredes for sharing your gift of music to help our kababayans. God bless you and your family.

    PHP 2,000 06/20/2020 02:26:27 AM UTC

  • Amy Cardino

    AUD 25 06/20/2020 02:07:22 AM UTC

  • Cheeselocks .

    PHP 3,000 06/20/2020 12:00:00 AM UTC

  • Pepi Nieva

    Love the butandings. Thank you for helpingbthe people of Sorsogon. Would appreciate a ny info about visiting the whale sharks. Pepi [email protected]

    USD 100 06/19/2020 05:31:20 PM UTC

  • Crisanta Corpus

    PHP 1,000 06/19/2020 11:45:12 AM UTC

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