Candlelight Vigil for the Philippines

Young volunteers of 350 Fiji and Greenpeace stepped up last night to lead a We Stand With You for climate justice in the Philippines Vigil. The young climate activists, in response to a global call to action by their friends in the Philippines, gathered on the balcony of Greenpeace Suvaís office to light a candle and show our support and solidarity for the families affected by the recent Typhoon Haiyan

Kelvin Anthony, 350 Fiji Coordinator, relayed a message from Meggie Nolasco of Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment, one of the leading environmental justice groups in the Philippines “The survivors we have talked to confirmed that hardships continue to persist on the ground: government relief still has yet to arrive in these areas a full week after the disaster and survival has been the priority of the families, with a lot of them resorting to looting or scavenging. They are urgently in need of at least a weekís worth of food, water, and materials for temporary shelters. In the long term, the people will be needing help in reconstructing their homes and infrastructure, and rebuilding their livelihoods”

Apisalome Waqanisau, Greenpeace Local Group Coordinator, stated that this was a great opportunity for collaboration between the two environmental groups, as the destruction caused by Haiyan may be a sign of what our world may be facing in the future. ìWe feel for the survivors and the families of the victims of Haiyan and when 350 Fiji proposed the idea to us to have a candlelight vigil for the Philippines, we just knew we had to do it. We need to be able to work together for the type of future we deserve

The We Stand With You vigil was an opportunity for groups around the world to publicly remember the lives lost to Typhoon Haiyan with their communities, as well as, call for climate actions ambitious enough to honor the victims and survivors of the storm.

The Climate Justice for the Philippines Worldwide vigils ran from the 21st to the 22nd of November