Disaster Response Philippines Project #15262

Food and Shelter for Philippine Typhoon Survivors

by Asia America Initiative

Project Report | Dec 18, 2018
Holiday Magic in Typhoon Recovery Schools

By Albert Santoli | Project Leader

Typhoon relief during 2018 has been challenging and rewarding. Villages in the Visayas, Philippines region suffered heavy flooding, damaging winds and massive landslides throughout the year beginning last December with Typhoon Vinta and most recently Typhoon Mangkhut and heavy rains during this pre-Christmas Season. Asia America Initiative remains actively assisting communities affected by natural disasters. We have chosen public schools as the centers of communities where we can focus on both nutritional support and psychological post-traumatic recovery. A little love goes a long way.

AAI's Global Giving donors have been generous and supportive. Thanks to a Global Giving corporate grant and many heartfelt donations from every-day people, we have been able to help communities begin to rebuild and recover. AAI structurally assists in rebuilding schools and repairing classrooms. We also provide food, hygiene supplies, clean drinking water and medical kits to impacted school populations. More than 12,000 individual school lunches per month are cooked on-site by caring Mothers and Grandmothers. Once again this Christmas, AAI has provided hundreds of children from impoverished families with toys, stuffed animals and artistic supplies that help to make their Holiday Season joyful.

Returning to relative normalcy is key to keeping communities together after a disaster. The longer recovery takes, the more likely families will become displaced and migrate to other regions due to poor living conditions and food insecurity. "What AAI has done affects children in a positive manner on every level of their lives," says Principal Rowena at Catig Lacadon Elementary school in the highlands of Cuartero, Capiz. "A gift as simple as a stuffed teddy bear or a coloring book with crayons, keeps the children active and replaces nightmares of tragedy with the joyful magic of Christmas. "

AAI believes in the dignity of the individual and keeping those impacted in a positive frame of mind. In order to keep children healthy, we continue to sponsor school lunch to some of the poorest areas in Visayas that were already below the poverty line. We also wish to share with you in pictures some highlights of children receiving relief items from AAI staff during December 2018. In January 2019, we will continue with new school supplies and to assure that every child in our schools receives a gift of Hope.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We ask you to please feel that you are a part of this wonderful effort. Your continued involvement is much appreciated.

Links:

Asia America Initiative Website

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Sep 18, 2018
Mission Accomplished on Past Typhoon Recovery, More Aid Work Ahead

By Albert Santoli | Project Leader

America Initiative and GlobalGiving wish to thank you for your past donations to this ongoing project providing assistance to Typhoon Vinta survivors to overcome severe storm damages that overwhelmed their communities. We have completed the Vinta relief program, thanks to your assistance. But new typhoons and other natural disasters are keeping us very busy at this time. Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific Ocean regions are at the forefront of experiencing the impact of global climate change. Thanks to our GlobalGiving donors we have been able to facilitate typhoon recovery with immediate aid and longer term rebuilding.

In Western Visayas, where Vinta struck, schools that had been damaged last year, continue to make progress and flourish. To preserve consistency and build confidence in expanding progress already made, AAI has continued to sponsor lunches at school prepared by mothers and grandmothers. We keep students healthy and focused on their studies though nutrition and clean water programs, including hygiene for washing hands. In response to storm damage, such as from the recent Typhoon Mangkhut in September 2018, we are providing roof and classroom repair, keeping the community focused on rebuilding better lives. Children have been able return to school after a short time. School closures could last for a long time -- even years -- as families concentrate on their own home repairs and food insecurity after a damaging typhoon. Our role is to stay long enough to get people on their feet and moving forward.

Your encouragement through doinations of all sizes helps to build the determination in children in affected communities to pursue goals and develop livelihood skills that will carry into their adulthood; even sharing their meager possessions with other communities that are in crisis.

We ask you to please continue supporting this project -- Food and Shelter for Philippine Typhoon Survivors, GG #15262, as well as our new program to provide recovery aid to survivors of Typhoon Mangkhut, GG #35691.

Links:

Asia America Initiative website

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Jun 19, 2018
New Rainy Season Creates Thousands more Homeless

By Albert Santoli | Project Leader

Daily feeding at Catig-Lacadon Elementary

In the first rainy season month of 2018, five tropical storms have already battered the Philippines, causing flood, mudslides and thousand of homeless familes. Asia America Initiative is one of the few remaining international organizations assisting displaced families and stricken communities in the Western Visayas area.

Thanks to GlobalGiving donors we have been fortunate to continue to assist communties that have been still recovering from the 2013 Super Typhoon Haiyan. Asia America Initiative with our local partners are conducting long-term emergency relief and providing food and water to thousands of affected families. We also are providing shelter materials, hygiene supplies, medicines and other post-trauma services to a target of 30,000 persons, mostly children and the elderly. Our main conduit of care and relief are inside the public schools, as non-political community centers.

"If you want to eliminate hunger, everybody has to be involved," says Principal Rowena of Catig-Lacadon Elementary School in Duenas. Catig-Lacadon Elementary was the site of the first AAI feeding program for the school year 2018-2019. "Thanks a bunch to Asia America Intiative for inspiring the parents and local government officials of our school children to assure that no matter how destructive the storm, our children are able to be properly nourished and have basic shelter and hygiene," Principal Rowena continues. "We have recovered with consistent help from AAI and our Global Giving friends."

From the bottom of our hearts we are grateful to GlobalGiving, and all of our donors. We are committed to expanding this program throughout the new 2018-19 school year. Our next step is the World Refugee Day Campaign which includes a 100 percent match of every donation, no matter the size. The campaign is only this Wednesday, June 20, 2018. For one day only. Please consider to contribute to AAI's program at this link:

https://bit.ly/2sN9ZOs

Lines of hungry children in West Visayas schools

Waiting in line for soup served by teachers

Moms cooking lunch for storm survivors at school

Dad's help too

MMMM!!! Good!!!

Every child eats together

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