By Matan Boiness | Country Director
Mental Health and Disaster Risk Reduction
During the month of October, IsraAID’s crew of psychologists and therapists carried out a week-long training in Medellin, a town in north Cebu. The training consisted of intensive courses in mental health and psychosocial support, and disaster risk reduction. Disaster Risk Reduction aims to reduce the damage caused by natural hazards like earthquakes, floods, droughts and cyclones, through an ethic of prevention. The 35 participants were staff and volunteers from the local Disaster Risk Reduction-, Health-, Welfare- and Youth Departments.
Jojo, a team leader in the Disaster Risk Reduction Department, mentioned the overall pleasure of meeting people from other departments and hearing their perspective. He shared:
"As disaster responders we get used to expect the worse from every situation. This activity made me rethink this predisposition. I said it would take us a minute and then with the help of the group it took us ten seconds! We should try to remain positive and trust our power to make a difference."
The Agriculture and Livelyhood Program
IsraAID’s team in the Philippines, together with the local farmers in Cabintan, have been busy repairing the water pipeline, which was damaged by the 6.5 magnitude earthquake which hit the island in July.
Water pipe repair:
As mentioned in the last report, a main concern after the July earthquake was damage to the main water pipe. This pipe is the primary water source to the farm, so any damage can harm the growth and production of essential crops, which can affect the local farmers' livelihoods.
The team found a solution by relocating the main pipe to a lower, more protected area – this also allows the momentum of the water to climb uphill. In addition, the dam was cleaned thoroughly three times a month, to deal with the constant heavy downpours as well as the earthquake damage.
Lettuce!
In the last few months, the team replaced most of the bell pepper crops with lettuce. This September, 290 kg of lettuce was harvested!! In the future, the crops will most likely be lettuce, sun tomatoes and bell peppers.
The financial success of the harvest, is now allowing the local farming group to start thinking of and investing in their future – for example, they are talking about expanding the farming area, perhaps bringing a dentist to area and enabling their children to go to school more regularly, instead of helping on the farm. In September, the entire IsraAID Philippines staff visited the project and the fields to introduce Matan, the new Country Director, to the project. Noel, IsraAID's local agronomist, showed everyone the various crops and explained IsraAID's contributions to the project. Matan shared his thoughts after the visit –
"As a former worker on farms and plantations in Israel, I was very impressed with what I saw in Cabintan. The local group is sustaining and even expanding its harvest and earnings. Our role in the project is increasingly advisory and crisis related. The whole staff thoroughly enjoyed themselves especially savoring the local coconuts!"
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