ADRA Angels All Around

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Philippines launched a new fundraising campaign called ADRA Angels, in which donors commit to making recurring contributions to support the organization’s humanitarian efforts.

Four women recently embarked on a seven-week cross-country journey to promote the campaign and ask for support. They traveled to 49 provinces, three Adventist union headquarters, 24 missions and conferences, 10 medical centers, and five colleges.

ADRA Philippines, an Adventist-affiliated organization, is dedicated to aiding vulnerable communities through a variety of humanitarian initiatives and programs. These initiatives include disaster response, livelihood development, and health programs. The ADRA Angels campaign seeks to raise funds to support these initiatives.

“It is imperative that church members engage in community activities in general. We believe that we are placed on this earth to represent Christ’s love to all around us. The only way to share this is to be in the world and engage in acts of compassion. This is even more true during a disaster, when people reach the depths of hopelessness and disparity,” Prabhook Bandaratilleke, newly installed country director for ADRA Philippines, said. “What better time to show them the acts of God, which are primarily love?

“Together, ADRA and ACS [Adventist Community Services] form a partnership that acts as an effective means to reach people in distress and provides a systematic model to channel that love to our fellow brothers and sisters,” Bandaratilleke added.

Biblical values like compassion, respect for human dignity, and a commitment to social justice serve as the organization’s guiding principles, according to the ADRA Philippines website. Through the ADRA Angels campaign, the organization hopes to inspire individuals to support those in need in accordance with these principles.

Aimee Tapeceria, fundraising and marketing coordinator of ADRA Philippines, said that at ADRA, they “believe that everyone has the potential to be an angel for someone else and have a positive impact on their community.”

ADRA Philippines has a long history of aiding those in need in the Philippines and abroad. In the past, the organization has responded to natural disasters such as typhoons and earthquakes, supported refugees and internally displaced people, and worked to increase access to healthcare in underserved communities.

“Just as the human body has many parts that work in synergy to accomplish what we need to do, so are the members of the church, who come with various strengths and abilities,” Bandaratilleke said. “[We may be] ineffective alone, but a powerful force for good when we come together. Each person matters and contributes to the collective effort. All to be the hands and feet of Jesus.”

The original version of this story was posted on the Southern Asia-Pacific Division news site.