BJJ community raise over $20,000 for victims of Typhoon Haiyan

PRESS RELEASE:

BJJ Community Help Raise over $20,000 for Filipino Victims of Typhoon Haiyan

22nd November 2013

. Braver & Stronger, a t-shirt designed by three artists to raise money for the survivors of Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan in the Philippines, has raised over £12,200 ($20,000).

Typhoon Haiyan was one of the deadliest storms recorded. Several thousand people lost their lives and over 13 million people were displaced.* Artist Bong Abad, originally born in the Philippines, collaborated with fellow fightwear artists Seymour Yang (Meerkatsu) and Matt Benyon (Scramble) to design the Braver & Stronger t-shirt. It went on sale over the 16-18 November 2013 via

www.gawakoto.co.uk store and BJJHQ.com. All profits would be donated to relief aid organisation Disasters Emergency Committee and UNICEF.

During the short three-day pre-order period, over 1,500 t-shirts were ordered by people from all over the world raising over £12,200 ($20,000) in profit.

Bong says: "Typhoon Haiyan has sparked the "bayanihan" spirit (spirit of communal unity) with donations and fundraisers from people worldwide. We are truly grateful to everyone who supported our 'Braver and Stronger' tee project. Our efforts may just be a drop in the ocean, but we hope it will make a difference.”

The devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan will take many years to repair. Donations can still be made to organisations including the Red Cross, UNICEF, Save the Children and many others. 

*Source: United Nations



UPDATE 1st Dec 2013
The full totals are as follows:
Donation via Gawakoto: £5,502 (approx $8,873 from 542 t-shirts) - donated to the DEC Typhoon Haiyan Appeal
Sales via BJJHQ: $12,120 (1,017 t-shirts) - donated to UNICEF Typhoon Haiyan Appeal




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