A month ago I'd never even heard of Zoom. I was also unfamiliar with the terms 'self-isolation' and 'social distancing' but it's very much part of our daily vocabulary now. I don't know about you, but I've gotten into the routine of having video call catch-ups with family and friends in the evenings, pub quizzes on weekends and virtual team drinks on a Friday during this new life in lockdown.
Receiving post and deliveries has also become VERY exciting, but while we may all have the ability to instantly connect with each other over video, sometimes snail mail is a nice way to surprise someone in quarantine. Cue these Guardian Angel postcards.
Send these Guardian Angel postcards to your loved ones during lockdown
My sister Jasmine Barcelona paints in her free time, and she was inspired to do a painting of a hospital worker in the Philippines, where she's currently based. She had the idea of turning her art into postcards, so that people could keep in touch the old-fashioned way through writing, while also spreading cheer and sending anyone who might need one, a Guardian Angel.
Check out Jasmine's Just Giving page here and order postcards by messaging her on Instagram on @jasminebarcelona here.
The postcards stemmed from this painting of a hospital worker in the Philippines
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She's also started a fundraising appeal in Santa Catalina, the rural area in the Philippines where our mum grew up. As 'no work, no pay' is unfortunately commonplace in the Philippines, and there's no such thing as a furlough scheme, many people have lost their jobs and are struggling to get food on the table.
The money that Jasmine has raised on her Just Giving page goes completely to making food packages for these vulnerable families. Along with our parents and a group of volunteers, she's on the ground buying locally sourced food, packing it up and delivering it to the nearby villages.
All funds raised go to the most vulnerable families in the Santa Catalina region
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Her Angel has become the symbol of her fundraising effort and a thank you to all the front liners working all around the world. If you'd like to order some postcards and write to your loved ones during lockdown, you can message Jasmine on Instagram on @jasminebarcelona or myself, @ainhoab89 and we'll get them posted to you. Any donations to the Just Giving page are also very much appreciated. Follow Jasmine's Instagram to see her latest fundraising updates.
Jasmine collecting rice to deliver to families with volunteers Ganny and Filix
The team of volunteers including Alan, Esther, Janice, Bing, Ricardo, Diosa, Tessa, Jean and Joy
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