29 December 2014 – A year after the devastation left by Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan, Philippine Ambassador to Qatar Crescente R. Relacion personally presented a certificate of recognition to Mr. Hezron Jeremiah Onyango, a Kenyan expat working as a laundry attendant at the InterContinental Doha The City who donated his one-month salary of QR1,057 ($290.24 or P12,924.44) to a fundraiser to help the families of his fellow workers from the Philippines victimized by the typhoon.

The presentation of the certificate of recognition was held on December 17 at the sidelines of a general meeting for hotel employees.

According to PR and Communications Manager Victoria Benz, InterContinental Doha The City held their own fundraising initiative, where Mr. Onyango donated his one-month salary. The beneficiaries were eight Filipino employees of the said hotel whose families were affected by Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan. The donation was given to the beneficiaries in cash.

Mr. Onyango was reportedly inspired by his upbringing in Nairobi and by his Filipino colleagues at the hotel.

For his heroism, Mr. Onyango was honored with a runner-up award in the Unsung Hero category at the recent Hotelier Middle East Awards held in Dubai. Several local English news dailies in Doha also did feature stories on Mr. Onyango. END