MANILA, Philippines — Every year, severe calamities remind us how vital emergency readiness really is. But when a typhoon hits, signals drop, and power cuts out, how prepared is your household? 

In high-risk regions like the Philippines, people are aware of disaster risks. Yet, Harvard Humanitarian Initiative studies show that while over half of households discuss emergency planning, only 20% maintain an actionable plan, leaving families to rely on chaotic guesswork during a crisis.

To mark the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR) 2026, ASSIST is bringing the UN theme, “Resilience Starts at Home,” straight into local communities. Instead of complex dense manuals, ASSIST developed Master of Disaster (MOD), a gamified learning tool that translates complex emergency protocols into an engaging board game.

MOD brings parents, kids, and local leaders together to practice critical decisions in a low-stakes environment. Through interactive challenges like emergency charades (“Act It Out”), players learn what essentials to pack in a Go Bag, how to respond to local hazards, and where to meet offline when communication lines fail.

“Malaki ang maitutulong nito, lalo na sa mga batang hindi pa alam ang gagawin sa isang disaster. Sa paglalaro ng Master of Disaster board game, mai-aapply nila ang natutunan at magkakaroon ng ideya sa tamang gawin sa ganitong sitwasyon.” (“This will be a huge help, especially for young children who don’t know what to do during a disaster yet. By playing the Master of Disaster board game, they can apply what they’ve learned and gain a clear idea of the right actions to take in emergencies.”) said by Cherry Talirongan, a teacher from Fr. William F. Masterson in Cagayan de Oro.

Ultimately, true disaster resilience goes far beyond physical infrastructure. As Francis Macatulad, Executive Director at ASSIST, points out: “More than emergency equipment, evacuation centers, and response plans, disaster resiliency requires a readiness mindset for the whole community. This is what ASSIST Asia’s Master of Disaster brings—practical, easy-to-understand, localized knowledge in an engaging format for all ages that gets families and schools involved and working together for the safety of their own communities.”

To ensure no household is left behind, ASSIST is actively translating MOD into different translations such as Taglish, Vietnamese, and Tamil. Because it operates as a physical board game, learning continues anywhere, anytime, even in off-grid communities without internet access.

To date, the initiative has achieved major impact, deploying 471 rollouts across schools, barangays, and youth councils, while training 703 local champions to lead disaster readiness. By turning preparedness into play, safety becomes a natural household habit.

Whether you are a school administrator, local official, or corporate sponsor, you can help bring gamified DRR tools to your community. Visit assistasia.org or fill out the Partnerships Form to inquire about Master of Disaster and partner with ASSIST today.

The floodwater in Barangay Masambong hadn’t even fully receded when more than 30 volunteers from inDrive PH stepped up to help.

MASAMBONG, Quezon City, Philippines — On August 17, 2026, inDrive PH partnered with ASSIST to repack and distribute emergency relief packages and food packs to families and evacuees dealing with the sudden aftermath of severe flooding.

The activity is part of inDrive Cares, inDrive’s community engagement platform built around four focus areas: community resilience, disaster response, environmental stewardship, and driver welfare. Given the Philippines’ exposure to typhoons and other natural disasters, inDrive has prioritized mobilizing its employees and partner-drivers for disaster preparedness and response work, including relief goods repacking and distribution. The goal is straightforward: get employees and driver-partners directly involved in supporting disaster-prone and vulnerable communities, and strengthen the kind of collective, community-based response that holds up before, during, and after a crisis.

Relief When It Mattered Most

The timing was the point. Families displaced by rising floodwaters needed food and basic supplies right away—not after the news cycle moved on.

Volunteers spent the day sorting, packing, and handing out essential items directly to community members and evacuees facing immediate loss.

Beyond Relief: What Drives inDrive Cares

This emergency outreach is part of inDrive Cares, inDrive’s global community engagement platform. Focused on key pillars—community resilience, disaster response, environmental stewardship, and driver welfare—the initiative mobilizes both corporate employees and partner-drivers for ground-level action.

Given the Philippines’ vulnerability to typhoons and seasonal flooding, inDrive and ASSIST aim to build a repeatable, community-based response system that works before, during, and after a crisis.

Key Impact Numbers at a Glance:

• 30+ Volunteers mobilized from inDrive PH and partner-driver networks.
• 1 Shared Goal: Bringing immediate support and dignity back to disaster-affected families

Building Long-Term Resilience Together

Disaster response is strongest when private enterprise, ground-level volunteers, and development partners act as one. Through this joint initiative, inDrive and ASSIST demonstrated how rapidly mobilized corporate volunteerism can meet immediate relief needs while strengthening long-term community bonds.

Is your organization ready to build real community resilience? Fill out our partnerships form to collaborate with ASSIST on upcoming disaster response and social impact initiatives or visit assistasia.org to know more about the organization

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