Disaster Response Philippines Project #15558

Help Typhoon Haiyan survivors in the Philippines

by Mercy Corps

Help Typhoon Haiyan survivors in the Philippines

Project Report | May 19, 2014
Do you know what "daghang salamat" means?

By Dan O'Neill | Mercy Corps Founder

Devastation from Typhoon Haiyan

In the six months since the devastating storm tore through the Philippines, your generosity has helped more than 140,000 people survive the chaos of disaster and begin putting their lives back together.

Thanks to you, families in the hardest-hit areas received:

• Food, clean water and hygiene supplies immediately after the storm

• Safe spaces for their children to recover from trauma

• Tools, materials and financial assistance to help survivors rebuild homes and businesses

Today, because of your support, children are sleeping under new roofs. Fishermen are repairing their boats. Parents are reopening their family businesses.

We know recovery from a disaster of this scale takes time. In the aftermath of a crisis there is an opportunity to build back better. That’s why, with your support, we’re working to improve access to clean water and mobile banking in underserved Filipino communities. We’re focused on ensuring thousands of vulnerable families have what they need to rebuild now and meet their needs for years to come. See photos

The courage and determination of the Filipino people to move forward is extraordinary. And your kindness in their moment of greatest need is a source of great hope for the future. As Anna says, our work would not be possible without you.

Daghang salamat. Thank you.

Typhoon Haiyan survivor

Child friendly spaces in the Philippines

Businesses reopen in the Philippines

Financial services offered by Mercy Corps

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Feb 19, 2014
Rebuilding for Baby Yolee

By Cassandra Nelson | Director, Multimedia Projects

You've given Hazel and her family a reason to hope

I want to share with you a miraculous story of survival.

Just hours before Typhoon Haiyan crashed into tiny Kinatarcan Island in the Philippines, 24-year-old Hazel was giving birth at the local health center. When the storm descended she knew they were in danger. She bravely forced herself from her hospital bed and ran with her newborn in her arms.

She found shelter in a house, but winds ripped the roof off as she huddled in a corner, clutching her baby. At times, she was certain they wouldn’t survive. After the storm, her husband and their 3-year-old daughter were overcome with relief when they found Hazel and the baby alive.

But the health center, their neighbors' homes, and their own home were devastated beyond recognition. Hazel remembers "when we saw it, we cried and cried.” Before the storm, her husband was a fisherman, like most people on the island. Now, even that little income is gone — because the boats were destroyed. With nowhere to go and no income, so many families, including Hazel's, were forced to live among the rubble.

But your compassionate support is lifting the spirits and improving the lives of thousands of survivors.

When Mercy Corps teams responded with lifesaving food packages and basic relief supplies, it was the first hopeful moment that Hazel had experienced in a long time. She said “my baby is very precious and this helps my baby” — nicknamed Baby Yolee after the storm (known locally as "Yolanda").

Your generosity is helping us scale up long-term recovery efforts. You're giving families clean water and food. You're helping families build safer shelters and return to work. And you're giving kids a place to play safely and heal.

There is still so much work to do and so many other families in need of urgent help. You can help more mothers, fathers, and children recover by sending your generous gift through our GlobalGiving Philippines page here. Thank you for changing the lives of so many resilient survivors.

Thank you for helping communities recover

Because of you, families can build safer shelters

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Dec 30, 2013
Families begin to move forward after Typhoon Haiyan

By Alyssa Cogan | Digital Content Team

Julita, Eastern Philippines

Over a month after Typhoon Haiyan ravaged the Philippines, displaced families are understandably eager to return home and begin rebuilding. There has been a shortage of building materials in the country, but as more shipments make their way to battered islands, survivors are setting out to repair damage or set up temporary shelters.

Even in more remote areas that receive little assistance, resourceful residents are salvaging what debris and timber they can.

It's communities like this, farther from main distribution channels, that we targeted to receive new recovery kits with construction supplies like hammers, shovels, nails and tarps.

"I discussed with the village leader and the community what they needed most," Emergency Program Manager Dewi Hanifah explained of the first visit to Julita. "They wanted supplies that they could use for the longer term. Because most people work as farmers, they can also use the tools in these kits for their work and lives in the future."

Julita is an inland municipality deep in the eastern Philippines. Its remote location — accessed by a long drive over muddy, storm-ravaged roads — has made it difficult for the government to provide the area with relief.

Additionally, we distributed hygiene and cooking supplies including essential items like soap and detergent, and cooking and eating utensils. Over 400 families in Julita also received emergency rice distributions — a total of five tons — as the need for food remains an urgent priority for those displaced by the storm.

In all, we reached 1,800 families in 14 villages in Leyte province that were most affected by Typhoon Haiyan. The supplies help meet their day-to-day needs and give them the opportunity to focus on long-term rebuilding.

"It was wonderful to see the families' faces when they received the reconstruction kits. They haven't received any other help like this, and they kept saying how much they needed it," Dewi said.

Because of you, Mercy Corps is able to reach thankful families in remote locations who have yet to receive critical, if any, aid. And it is not too late to make more of an impact in 2013. You will reach more survivors of Typhoon Haiyan with lifesaving food, critical supplies and support that helps them recover and begin rebuilding.

On behalf of the resilient families in the Philippines who are now begining to move forward - thank you.

With Gratitude,

Alyssa Cogan

Families receive critical reconstruction kits

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Mercy Corps' lifesaving work in the Philippines

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