Between August 18th and 22nd, more than 60% of Manila flooded. In our community - Banaba - rivers burst their banks and more than 2,000 families were forced from their homes. 3 year old Alyona spent five days sleeping on the floor of an evacuation when her house was inundated. These floods were not a one-off - there will be more floods this year, and with them more evacuations. With your help, we'll be there to provide hot meals during those floods.
The Philippines is affected by around 20 typhoons every year, making it one of the world's most disaster-prone countries. The floods those typhoons bring are devastating for the thousands of families who live on the riverbanks in the poor community of Banaba. Banaba is on the outskirts of Manila in a flood plane surrounded by rivers. It floods multiple times every year, and those floods force thousands to evacuate. We need to prepare now to feed evacuees during the next flood.
The funds raised on this project will be used to provide 5,000 hot meals of rice porridge with chicken and vegetables in evacuation centres when the floods come. Luckily, in August waters receded quickly, so we only had to provide around 2,000 hot meals. We might not be so lucky the next time, and no one knows when the next flood is coming, so we're raising the money we need to provide 5,000 hot meals for evacuees now.
Preparing to feed the most vulnerable is one of the many ways we're helping vulnerable Banaba residents resist and recover from floods. By providing nutritious, filling food during evacuation families won't have to use precious savings to pay for meals outside the home during floods. This will leave them with more funds available to recover when floods recede. It will also remind them that during disaster, there is someone there who cares.