Build 40 homes for Haiyan Survivors in Cebu

Assessment & Evaluation Phase

The project began in June-July 2015 with an assessment and verification process for potential beneficiaries who would receive one of the new homes which were to be built. The local team verified and assessed the validity of their records during house to house visitations, surveys and interviews in the neighbourhood.  Once the verification was complete the team carried out an evaluation and made a final assessment of the beneficiaries on the list to check that they met the agreed criteria.

Initial Construction Phase

The construction phase began in August 2015 and was completed by the end of the year. The initial design chosen from Shelter Reach International required some materials which needed to be imported from China.  This would have resulted in several months’ delay and possibly extra costs. The leadership then decided to stick with the original house design provided for by the University of San Carlos which was revised by one of the short-term volunteer personnel.  This was then used for all 50 houses. 

The construction of the first batch of six houses was for the carpenters who helped with an earlier construction project with Conscience International.  They were given priority as they had given their labour for free, but also because their families met the criteria.

Main Construction Phase (44 houses - 12 per batch)

During the construction of the first batch of houses the recipients of the next batches were asked to clean up the locations for their new homes, and also to work on the layout and digging of foundations. Since Kinatarkan is a rocky island, digging the foundation took a lot of time.  Having the families involved helped move the project forward under the supervision of the head foreman and made the final construction easier for the team.

There were challenges encountered during the construction process due to the fact that all materials are to be purchased from the mainland, and sometimes weather was unpredictable. This effected the movement of the delivery of materials.

The final handover and dedication of the new homes took place on December 8, 2015.  It was a grand celebration organized by the recipients themselves and conducted at the Barangay town hall.  Almost 250-300 people were in attendance. 

The team called it “Pista ni Kristo” (The Feast of Christ) wherein Filipino games were played and participated in by community members, beneficiaries or not.  During the whole construction period, the beneficiaries further strengthened their bond and appointed officials/leaders among themselves.  It was also at this time that the representatives of the beneficiaries took an oath of office. It was a festive occasion and all who were there feasted together with the food prepared for by the recipients.  It was special to note that the families really took time to contribute and invest in food preparation to bless the rest of the community as well. 

Ongoing Development

Among all the phases in the housing project, the development side is the most significant part as it will take a while to see real transformation take place in these communities.   An African proverb says, “If you want to go fast, go alone but if you want to go further go together”, and this is what relief and development is all about and what OM Philippines is committed to do.  Below are a couple of examples of some of the ongoing development programmes which are continuing beyond the construction phase.

• Community consultation of where they want the partnership to go.  The team askedthe local community how they want to proceed and what can OM Philippines do on their behalf.  The beneficiaries were able to come up with three issues that they wanted to be discussed which are as follows: (1) construction of toilets, (2) provision of livelihood opportunities, (3) educational assistance.  Among the three issues they have proposed, the leadership agreed to provide 15 slots for the scholarship programme at a specific programme conducted for this purpose on March 10, 2016. 19 names were endorsed by those who came, and the scholarship department is going to look at and will make another assessment as to the validity of those names.  It was also during this time that OM Philippines distributed housewares from Gaisano Country Mall.  It is owned by a Chinese family whose daughter is an OM volunteer.  They sponsored a Fun Run and the proceeds were given to OM Philippines’ projects. These items were distributed to the 50 beneficiaries of the new house project in Kinatarkan Island. “OM was not giving houses, but they were helping us to rebuild our homes. No thankyou’s could ever express what we truly feel,” a beneficiary said in gratitude.

• Families have also been trained on how to take care of the houses. Part also of the above program is the orientation and training of the families on how they can take care of the houses, which was done by one of our staff.  He explained the components of the house construction and how to better keep the house for a longer period of time.  This was appreciated by those who came.

• Training for Safety of Life At Sea (SOLAS).  This activity was conducted after an accident that happened where a significant amount of valuable roofing materials were lost at sea due to negligence and lack of safety training.  It so happened that the one affected is an OM partner and the roofing materials was a livelihood loan from OM. This gave an opportunity for the OMP-Cebu Team leader and a seaman by profession, to share his expertise and experience with the local boatmen.  About 30 of them gathered and learned the basics of SOLAS.  They made agreement on how to conduct sea operations and even came to the point of organizing themselves for emergency contacts when another accident at sea will happen again.  The boatmen also made requests for equipment that they can use.  OM Philippines has already allocated an amount for the purchase of these materials.  “One boat capsized already and we do not want that to happen once again which is why we wanted to educate them about this,” he stated. “Our partnership with the people in the island does not end with giving only the houses to them, but also in developing the different aspects of their lives.”

Our partner OM Philippines felt that the work in Kinatarkan was a “God-given” opportunity to help this community. They faced many hurdles together, but were motivated to serve the local community with courage and compassion to support and engage with these islanders.  The team will continue to work with the local community residents encouraging them to be patient with themselves as change takes time.  They will continue to encourage them as they work together on increasing their quality of life which will lead to transformation not only of their own individual lives but the whole community as well.  In this way they are being true to our slogan– transforming lives and communities. 

We are grateful to all those who have supported this project both through Global Giving, and also through as well as from many other sources and donors from different countries.