PHILIPPINES TYPHOON RELIEF UPDATE AUGUST 2022
TOTAL IMPACT 91 IMPACTED LIVES COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS ENGAGED VOLUNTEERS
2,467
243
VOLUNTEER DAYS LIVES IMPACTED
75 JOBS COMPLETED
BOATS REPAIRED
SCHOOLmucking IN PROGRESS Photos: (Top) Volunteers 9212(Left) Tree and gutting a home; removalVOLUNTEER HOURS
Current Activities As we wind down in the Philippines, we are excited to share some highlights from this extraordinary program celebrating the human need for community and the role of women in society. Our Araceli Boat Repair program focused on restoring the livelihoods of the local fisher folk whose boats were destroyed in Super Typhoon Odette in December 2021. This low cost, high impact response was kept small and scalable by embracing localization. It is the only AHAH program to date to use a 100% local team, in this case, of Filipino nationals, which included an all female management team and an all female boat building team. The objective was to repair and rebuild local fishing boats, or “bangkas”, in time for the next fishing season. The program was organized around a deeply rooted custom in Filipino culture known as “bayanihan” whereby community members support and help each other for the greater good. This community volunteer model worked beautifully, as Filipinos are deeply imbued with a strong sense of unity and cooperation. The bayanihan spirit extended from the complexity of the boatyard to the simplicity of the communal kitchen where staff and volunteers routinely brought in fish, rice, and vegetables to prepare and share lunchtime meals together.
Staff Spotlight: Shan AHAH is always looking for ways to celebrate female empowerment and highlight the crucial role women play in lifting up their communities in the wake of a disaster. Thus, we shine our staff spotlight on a remarkable member of our all-Filipina management team, Shan. Shan was our first staff hire. No sooner had she started than it became apparent how well connected she was, not only in her own “barangay” or neighborhood, but all over Araceli. She jumped straight into supporting the program and very quickly became a critical asset to the team, coordinating the local volunteers, providing operational and logistical support in the boatyards and becoming a Salesforce genius! As the program was winding down, Shan coordinated the complex Disaster Risk Reduction training event which drew over 400 participants. Hats off to you, Shan, for your hard work, your bayanihan spirit, and the special way you guided your community to a better prepared, more resilient future. Maraming salamat po! Thank you very much! Photos: (Top left) Some of the completed bangkas; (Top right) (Bottom left) A local boy enjoys boatyard life.
The Philippines - Going Forward AHAH announced a second Philippines recovery program, starting August 2022 focused on building Temporary Learning Spaces (TLS’s) in communities in Southern Leyte where Typhoon Odette did significant damage to school infrastructure. This is another highly scalable effort aimed at getting students back into the learning environment as soon as possible. AHAH will be partnering with UNICEF on this exciting project!
Disaster Profile Super Typhoon Rai (known locally as Odette) made its first of nine landfalls on December 16, 2021, in the Central-Southern region of the Philippines causing severe rainfall, flooding, and mudslides. Rapidly intensifying over a 24 hour period, it had maximum sustained winds of 195 km/hr and was the strongest storm of 2021 to affect the country. The super typhoon affected 9.9 million people, took more than 400 lives, and left 2.4 million in need of assistance across all sectors, primarily with food, shelter and livelihoods. There was significant damage to infrastructure, schools, community structures and farms; 1.7 million homes were damaged, 415 thousand homes were destroyed, and according to recent reports in some areas 80% of coconut trees were uprooted entirely, whereas they often sway and remain standing in typhoon force winds. National response and recovery efforts were delayed due to the increased spread of COVID-19, with travel limitations being imposed in and within The Philippines.
Our Work Due to travel restrictions, AHAH Disaster Assessment Response Team (DART) monitored the impacts of Super Typhoon Rai remotely. On February 10, 2022, the borders were opened and DART began ground assessments identifying the most vulnerable communities to support. Upon arrival, the team quickly began meeting with local organizations that were working in the area and connecting with communities to identify where help was needed the most. Within days, our team identified the island of Palawan and specifically the island municipalities of Dumaran and Araceli as communities in the most need. Specifically, they identified in every community it has been the fishers that are the ones hardest hit.
About All Hands and Hearts We effectively and efficiently address the immediate and long-term needs of communities impacted by natural disasters. We communicate directly with local leaders and community members and then deploy our unique model of engaging volunteers to enable direct impact, helping to build safer, more resilient schools, homes and infrastructure. Photos: (Top) Our female boat builders, (next) Shan listening to community concerns and ideas, (next) Shan - no mission too impossible, (next) A refurbished boat ready to set sail, (bottom) Community Preparedness Training
We have earned a 4-star rating by Charity Navigator for the eighth year in a row. This year only six percent of rated nonprofits received this distinction We have earned a 4-star rating by Charity Navigator for the seventh year in a row. This year only for financial and operational efficiency. seven percent of rated nonprofits received this distinction for financial and operational efficiency.
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