International Aid Partners with Amway to Deliver Relief to Philippines

Amazing Things Happen When We All Work Together

On November 20th, 2013, approximately 4,000 Amway employees volunteered to support 15 area non-profit organizations through 22 projects in a 24-hour time period. This day of giving back to the community was to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the AMWAY – One by One Campaign for Children.

Since the launch of the Amway – One by One Campaign in 2003, its focus has been to help children in need. In just 10 years, Amway Business Owners and employees have impacted the lives of more than 10 million children by volunteering 2.7 million hours and giving more than $190 million for thousands of projects around the world.

This year, International Aid was chosen as one of the area non-profits to benefit from Amway’s generosity. After numerous discussions and meetings to find the best way to give back, a project was agreed upon. Hygiene Kits. A hygiene kit is a 1 Gallon sized bag containing a bottle of shampoo, a bar of soap, a washcloth, a tube of toothpaste, a toothbrush, a comb and a stick of deodorant.

Now to many of us this may seem like a simple project. A few items thrown into a bag and call it done. But needless to say that is far from the case. These kits make a huge impact to those who receive them. Children and families affected by poverty, homelessness, or natural disasters need essential hygiene items, and that’s where these kits come into play. When we began discussing this project with the Amway team, we weren’t sure how or where the kits would be used. But we knew that among our hundreds of partners serving in many different countries that a need for the kits would quickly arise. And to our surprise, that need arrived faster than expected.

On November 8th, 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest storms in recorded history, came across the central Philippines. People were and still are struggling to grasp what they have lost and the challenges they now face. Nearly 620,000 people were displaced, an estimated 10,000 killed and 9.5 million “affected” by this powerful typhoon that spanned across nine regions.

International Aid made the decision to respond with disaster relief. Immediately contacting product donors and partners to procure and coordinate as much product and supplies as possible to send to the disaster stricken areas. As the procurement of the products continued the timing and assembly of the kits couldn’t have been better. We immediately had a partner to connect the hygiene kits with and as soon as the kits arrived to our warehouse, they were loaded onto a container with other products and supplies and shipped off to the Philippines.

Once the kits arrive, they will be distributed through a partner who already has feet on the ground in the Philippines. This will make the distribution process of the kits much faster. The children and families who receive these kits will be impacted in a great way during a time that they have lost so much.

You see, what started as one company (Amway), looking for a way to give back and impact the lives of those in need, connecting with an organization (International Aid), who distributes medical equipment and health resources to global partners serving those in need, turned into something that only God could orchestrate. It really is amazing how God works. We set out on this project not knowing how God would use these kits or where they would have the greatest impact, but in the end, the timing of these kits couldn’t have been better. God always has a plan and amazing things truly happen when we all work together.

TOGETHER, we can do amazing things to reach the world for Christ!