PDRF partners with Airlink in emergency response logistics; hosts regional training

The Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF) and Airlink, an international logistics nonprofit organization focused on disaster response, recently signed a partnership agreement in emergency response logistics.

As part of the partnership, Airlink held an in-person logistics workshop last June 6-7, 2023, at the PDRF Emergency Operations Center in Clark, Pampanga.

A first in a series of regional workshops, 19 non-government organizations (NGOs) from Asia and the Pacific Region attended the training to identify and address lessons learned from past responses in the region. The training is designed to proactively build organizational and collective preparedness among nonprofits by sharing good practices through tabletop exercises, information sharing, and other interactive sessions to develop logistical competencies. Keynote speakers also offered insights into specific regional challenges in the region.

“As part of active listening to local and regional actors in the humanitarian sector, Airlink identified PDRF as having invaluable expertise, as well as extensive networks with local, regional and national governments and reliable private sector support for a whole-of-society approach to disaster preparedness and response. This was clearly demonstrated at the regional training event, eliciting strong engagement from Airlink’s NGO partners with past experience in the field,” said Claire Leow, Airlink’s Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific. “Airlink is proud to have PDRF as our new partner.”

In his remarks, PDRF President Butch Meily highlighted the need for stakeholders to work together to effectively respond to disasters and quickly bring relief to affected communities.

“During the early days of the pandemic, we responded to typhoons and earthquakes despite a lack of vaccines. Airlink provides transport during disasters to over 150 NGOs around the world. They are going to be an important partner for PDRF. They will give us access to a large network of air assets that will significantly improve the way we respond to disasters and help people,” said Meily.