Marilyn is 53 years old. She lives with her four children in a house dangerously close to a riverbank. Every year it floods, and Marilyn's home has been inundated many times. During floods Marilyn's family must seek safety in an evacuation centre. However, Marilyn's nearest evacuation center is not yet finished. The interior still needs rendering, and the building needs equipping with bunk beds. So, it still can't provide protection during disasters. Marilyn lives in constant danger and fear.
The Philippines is hit by around 20 typhoons every year, making it one of the world's most disaster-prone countries. The typhoons bring floods and both are dangerous for the thousands like Marilyn who live on riverbanks. It floods every year and each time Marilyn must evacuate to stay safe. However, the original sponsor of Marilyn's evacuation center ran out of funds before construction work could be finished. So, Marilyn doesn't have anywhere safe to seek refuge when the worst happens.
Marilyn desperately needs a safe refuge during typhoons and floods. Your donations will provide this refuge by enabling the rendering of Marilyn's evacuation center to continue. Your donations will also provide bunk beds to give evacuees somewhere to sleep. Although we need to raise over $8,500 in total to complete work, the project can be tackled in stages, one brick wall and bunk bed at a time. So, your donations will have an immediate impact, even as we continue to fundraise.
The completed evacuation center will continue to provide a safe refuge for hundreds of families, including Marilyn's, for generations to come. Outside of typhoons the center is already being used to run impactful community development projects. These projects help provide job opportunities for poor residents and also encourage better nutrition and health. Completing the center will also help these projects expand and thrive.
