Emergency Response Unit_Phillipines

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EMERGENCYRESPONSE

PHILIPPINES

EM ERGE NCY RE SPONSE UNIT The Emergency Response Unit (ERU) of Food for the Hungry (FH) responds to disasters around the world. By supporting FH offices on the ground and partnering with churches and other organizations, FH brings critical physical assistance and Christ’s love to disaster survivors.

TYPHOON HAIYAN RELIEF

On November 8, 2013, Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines with maximum sustained winds of 320 kph. More than 16 million people across nine regions were affected, with more than 1 million people displaced.

• FH’s response started immediately as our network of pastors in the affected areas sent text messages with reports on the destruction in each community.

• FH was a first responder in several communities, helping with distributions of food, water and other critically-needed items.

• FH focused its work on 4,400 displaced families in Basey and Marabut municipalities of Western Samar Province.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . November 8, 2013 • Typhoon Haiyan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

PHASE ONE: RESPONSES EM E R G E NCY RES PON S E Typhoon Haiyan devastated nine regions of the Philippines, destroying more than 1 million homes and displacing more than 4 million people, with more than 16 million people affected. Immediately following the disaster, FH’s network of pastors in affected areas sent text messages to FH staff about areas that needed assistance. Over five days, FH staff traveled on destroyed roads to be one of the first responders in 15 barangays (or neighborhoods) of the Samar Province. Following a rapid assessment, FH began a six-month project (phase one) supporting the holistic and immediate needs of these 15 barangays with interventions in food and non-food items (NFI) distributions, livelihoods, child protection and health.

CH I LD - FRI E NDLY SPAC ES FH opened up 35 child-friendly spaces (CFS) to provide protection, education and psychosocial care for children ages 3-17. With many homes and schools destroyed and streets filled with unsafe debris, children found a safe respite in CFS to play games, receive counseling and participate in a learning environment until school resumed. The CFS sites provide art, theater, dance, music, sports, reading and life-skill development for the children. More than 4,600 children attend the CFS sites on a weekly basis.

L IVE LI H OOD SU PPORT As Typhoon Haiyan destroyed fishing boats, nets and coconut trees, many households were left with no means for generating an income as their livelihood had been destroyed. The primary sources for income and food in the project areas included fishing, coconut harvesting/processing and farming. FH helped community members regain their livelihoods by providing cash for work (CFW) programs that paid men and women to help in debris removal and community clean-up activities. Other livelihood programs included supplying fishing nets to fishermen and rice/vegetable seeds and tools to farmers for growing food for income and household consumption.

DESTRUCTION NEAR THE BEACH - OUTSIDE OF BASEY. TAKEN 10 DAYS AFTER THE STORM.

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FISHING PROFESSIONALS RECEIVING PADDLE BOATS IN MARABUT MAY 2014.

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . November 8, 2013 • Typhoon Haiyan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

THE NUMBERS: PEOPLE HELPED, SUPPLIES DISTRIBUTED F OOD D I STRIBU T IONS FH distributed two-week food rations to 4,400 households in the 15 adopted barangays that included the following items: rice, noodles, coffee, sugar and canned goods. In addition, in coordination with the World Food Programme, FH distributed rice to another 2,004 families in other barangays that were identified as needing additional assistance. A Christmas Food Basket was also prepared and distributed to 4,400 households which included: pasta noodles, tomato sauce, ketchup, sugar, juice and biscuits.

N FI D I STR I BUT IONS 5,818 families received blankets, sleeping mats, kitchen kits, a flashlight, water containers and a bucket. Hygiene kits were distributed that included toothbrushes, toothpaste, nail cutters, sanitary napkins, combs, and a face towel. Through the CFS sites, 3,469 children received hygiene kits (which included hand towels, toothbrush, toothpaste, hand soap and baby powder).

DISTRIBUTION TRUCK CARRYING PADDLE BOATS.

S E E D S FOR GARDENS 4,028 families received vegetable seeds for planting, including eggplants, bitter gourd, okra, and Chinese cabbage. In Marabut, 1,645 families received seeds for okra, bitter gourd, eggplant and string beans.

CAS H FOR WO RK 1,571 CFW laborers (624 Female and 947 Male) received tools, gloves, helmet and boots and a daily wage to remove debris from streets and areas for rebuilding. CFW laborers also participated and led in 15 community clean-ups for removing debris, trash and broken trees and shrubs from the community.

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HOUSEHOLD GARDEN - RESULT OF SEED DISTRIBUTIONS.

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . November 8, 2013 • Typhoon Haiyan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Many laborers spent their income on additional food, rebuilding their house, medicine and restoring household assets.

two barangays. 30 Sawyer water filters were also installed in various locations, including CFS sites, elementary schools and high schools.

B OAT D I STRIBU T IO NS An approved boat maker was contracted to build 46 motorized boats and 200 paddle boats. The first batch of boats was distributed at the end of April, and the second batch will be finished and distributed in May. Fishing supplies such as crab nets, ropes and anchors were distributed in April.

H EA LT H In partnership with Medicard Foundation, medical teams travelled to project areas to conduct four mobile health clinics, which served more than 1,000 patients. Medical and dental consultations treated patients for coughs, colds, hypertension, and skin diseases. Dental examinations provided patients with fluoride application, tooth extraction and restoration and oral prophylaxis. Health education was also provided.

WATE R In partnership with Water Mission International, FH installed two generator-powered water treatment systems that serve 2,518 households in

WHERE WE WORK

L AT I N A M E R I C A 1. Guatemala 2. Nicaragua 3. Haiti 4. Dominican Republic 5. Peru 6. Bolivia

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AFRICA 7. South Sudan 8. Ethiopia 9. Uganda 10. Kenya

11. Rwanda 12. Burundi 13. DR Congo 14. Mozambique

ASIA 15. Bangladesh 16. Cambodia 17. Phillipines 18. Indonesia

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . November 8, 2013 • Typhoon Haiyan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

PHASE TWO: RESTORING COMMUNITIES As Food for the Hungry starts phase two of our work in the Philippines, long-term rehabilitation and development issues will be addressed. FH will employ an integrated programmatic framework to assist ongoing rehabilitation of communities based on information gained from phase one, local assessments of project impact, and building on FH’s organizational capacity and experience. This framework will focus primarily on the following interventions: D ISASTE R R ISK REDU C T IO N FH will form disaster risk management committees with leaders from each barangay.

FH staff will work with each committee to conduct assessments of each area and develop risk management and disaster management plans. Leaders will identify needed equipment and strategies for various disaster scenarios.

Also, local churches will be trained on coping strategies. FH staff will also advocate creating disaster-resilient evacuation centers in each barangay creating discussions with barangay leaders, government authorities and other organizations.

L IVE LI H OODS FH has identified key livelihoods of communities that require basic inputs in order for activities to resume again. FH will prioritize the distribution of productive livelihood assets, with options in fishing, agriculture, livestock, and others.

Alternative livelihood options will also be provided to communities, such as weaving, construction and farming. In addition, FH will organize savings groups, consisting of 1020 members who save money weekly in a community savings. FH staff will train group members on managing finances and how to start income generating businesses. Group members

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H EA LT H /WASH Health educators (also called leader mothers) will be assigned 10 to 20 households in each of the barangays to start training parents on health practices like washing hands, food preparation, identifying and treating illnesses, and other health information. Hygiene fairs will be held at two elementary schools to educate children on washing hands, nutrition and other health matters.

COM M U N IT Y CA PACIT Y B U IL DIN G FH will increase the capacity of Barangay leadership to oversee community recovery and development programs and activities, planning and management skills, project planning, advocacy and governance skills. FH will facilitate the formation of barangay leadership groups (BLG), to be comprised of approximately 12-15 members. After receiving training, these groups will identify community projects to improve life for those living in each of the 15 barangays. FH will help organize steps and resources from the barangays and other sources, like government and organizations, to successfully complete approved plans.

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . November 8, 2013 • Typhoon Haiyan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A STORY OF HOPE Agnes Torres lives in Western Samar – and like most of the families in that area, she lives in a shelter box with her husband and two nephews. Typhoon Haiyan destroyed her house, business and land. At age 40, it was the first time she’d experience this kind of disaster.

Before Typhoon Haiyan, she was doing well. She had a retail store while her husband worked as fisherman.

They owned a home and a motor boat. After the typhoon everything was gone. She had no idea how she and her family would survive.

“I REALLY DIDN’T KNOW IF MY SEEDS WOULD GROW, BUT I TRIED BECAUSE IT WOULD BE A GREAT HELP TO MY FAMILY...”

When she received food relief packs with vegetable seeds from Food for the Hungry (FH), she didn’t expect much from them. All of her neighbours started growing vegetable gardens, so she decided to try it. “I really didn’t know if my seeds would grow,” she said, “but I tried because it would be a great help to my family to support our daily food needs.”

She harvested crops for food, which helped to ease her anxieties about survival. As her garden grew, people would walk by and ask to buy the vegetables. She got the idea to plant more vegetables to sell for income. She calculated that over time, she and her husband could save up for a new motor boat and restart the fishing business.

Now, she feels more confident about her family’s survival and the future. “Planting and growing vegetables inspires me to keep the hope in my heart that we can still recover and restore our lives,” says Agnes.

AGNES TORRES WITH HER GROWING VEGTABLE GARDEN.

OU R PA RT N ER S Cedar Fund/Hong Kong Government Engineering Ministries International FH/Canada Integral Alliance JIFH

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Millennium Water Alliance / FEMSA Plan International Tearfund Ireland Tear Netherlands Tearfund New Zealand

Tearfund UK UNICEF Water Mission International WFP World Concern

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