Disaster Response Philippines Project #15869

Philippine Disaster Recovery -Rebuild Birth Center

by Mercy In Action Vineyard, INC

Project Report | May 26, 2015
Rebuilding in the Disaster Zone

By Vicki Penwell | Executive Director

With your generous help, Mercy In Action rebuilt an entire clinic/birth center that had been smashed to rubble in the disaster zone.

You remember how devastated Leyte Island was last year after the largest storm in history ripped through the Philippines. Known as Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda in the Philippines) this storm destroyed all the hospitals and clinics for hours around the epicenter of this terrible disaster.

So we chose one birth center to rebuild from the ground up. It is now complete, open for business, and truly one of the nicest birth centers in the entire Philippines! Cumpio Clinic is well furnished, well stocked, well staffed, and so full of love and gratitude from the patients who are all survivors of the 2013 Super Typhoon that wiped out much of Leyte Island.

Since Cumpio Clinic opened the new doors last fall, 102 babies have been born in the newly rebuilt birth center, 238 prenatal exams have been done in the outpatient clinic, and over 100 home visits have been made to postpartum mothers and babies.

These attached pictures tell the story of what is possible when people come together and respond quickly, compassionately, effectively, and efficiently following a natural disaster.

This recent email from Nerissa to Vicki speaks volumes about the profound effect this project had on one typhoon survivor:

"Dear Ma'am Vicki,
Thank you. Indeed i am so very happy and that i am so thankful for all the donors. You just didn't rebuild the clinic but you gave back my life, hope, the zest and will to live and the most important my faith in God.
You really made an impact to us.
I love you with all my heart.

Nerissa"Heartfelt thanks to our Global Giving donors who made this project possible.

Links:

Mercy In Action's website

Attachments:

3 Attachments

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Feb 18, 2015
Finally, a home-15 months after Typhoon

By Vicki Penwell | Executive Director

Nerissa's family in front of rebuilt birth clinic

"Dear ma'am Vicki and Sir Scott,
We will not be tired of saying THANK YOU.
Love from Alexander and Nerissa"

This is the email I received this morning, as Nerissa and Alexander begin building a second floor onto the clinic and birthing home Mercy In Action rebuilt for them last year with help from Global Giving. This will now be a home for them and their two young girls, who were so horribly traumatized by the destruction of their home in the Super Typhoon over a year ago. Typhoon Haiyan, known locally as Yolanda, and declared to be the world's strongest storm to make landfall ever, smashed their home and their family run clinic and birth center into a pile of rubble last November 8, 2013.

When we offered help last year, Nerissa asked for the clinic first, With your help, we opened the Cumpio Clinic again in September of 2014. Nerissa and her family wanted to be able to serve the community with maternity medical care, before they even began to hope that they themselves would have a house again.

And so they have been living in a tent or crowded temporary housing for the past 15 months.

With your help, Mercy In Action made an immediate disaster response 15 months ago, setting up tents to deliver babies and treat wounds, food programs to get urgently needed nutrition to pregnant and breastfeeding women, and trauma healing ministry to the survivors, especially the young children. Then, again with your help, we began to help rebuild the health care structures damaged or destroyed, and trained and equipped midwives to get back on their feet. In December of last year, we distributed new birth bags to a dozen local area midwives.

But I always felt the disaster work we were called to do was not over yet.

Today we begin building the second floor of the beautiful clinic into a permanent home for the midwife we have come to love and respect so much, Nerissa Cumpio.

It is my turn to say to all of you supporters and donors, "I will not be tired of saying THANK YOU" to you! Thanks be to God for such good friends when the storms of life hit....

Vicki Penwell, LM,CPM, MSM, MA
Founder and Executive Director
Mercy In Action Vineyard, Inc
www.mercyinaction.org

Links:

Mercy In Action Website

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Nov 19, 2014
Matching Money available to help Typhoon Victims

By Vicki Penwell | Executive Director

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