In memory of the Filipino NHS workers lost to COVID-19

We’re raising money to support the families left behind.

Filipinos are a cornerstone of the UK’s National Health Service, making up 2% of healthcare workers, the third largest ethnic group. In the fight against COVID-19, however, Filipinos have been disproportionately affected. To date, more than 20% of NHS workers lost to COVID-19 are Filipino. They leave behind families both in the UK and in the Philippines - many of whom relied on them as their main source of income.

We are a group of 100 Filipinos, Britons, Canadians, Singaporeans, Italians, and Americans who have come together to honour the fallen Filipino NHS workers by collectively running, walking and exercising a total of 11,000 km - representing the journey from the UK to the Philippines. We want to symbolically bring our countrymen and women “home” one final time. We hope to raise Php 1 million (£20,000) to support the families they leave behind; to let them know they are not alone in these difficult times. We are working with the Royal College of Nursing Foundation (RCN Foundation), a UK charity who will distribute the donations.

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Some donors have experienced issues with PayPal - you can also donate via bank transfer, see details below. Email us at [email protected] and we'll confirm receipt. Thank you!

• Bank: Union Bank Philippines
• Account Name: Isabelle Marie Vanessa Morris
• Account Number: 1094 2078 1300

Click here to donate on our JustGiving page in £ or $

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We call our initiative “BalikBayani”, inspired by the Tagalog words “Balikbayan” which refers to a Filipino countryman who has returned home from working abroad, and “Bayani” meaning “hero”. We travel the 11,000 kilometres in honour of our heroes’ final journeys home.

Visit our website www.balikbayani.org