As a way to contribute to an important cause, put a lot of feelings into action, and have fun at the same time, the MIT Filipinos Students Association and Cambridge-based FlipSquad are coordinating a basketball tournament on July 22 & 23, 2006 at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

This tournament brings together many people with two goals: having good, competitive fun; and raising money and awareness for victims of the devastating mudslides in the Philippine province of Leyte through the work of the Philippine based non-profit organization, Gawad Kalinga.

The Leyte Mudslides
On February 17, 2006, a series of mudslides caused widespread damage and loss of life in Southern Leyte. The deadly landslides followed a ten-day period of heavy rains and a minor earthquake and caused the loss of over 1,000 lives (dead or missing) and displaced 6,000 people.

The municipality of Saint Bernard was one of the worst hit areas, with up to 200 estimated as dead and another 1,500 missing. Barangay Guinsaugon, a mountain village with 2,500 people, was almost completely destroyed. More than four months has passed since the massive landslides. At present, most of the affected families are still living in four evacuation centers.