Emergency Relief for Super Typhoon Haiyan Victims

On November 8, 2013, Typhoon Haiyan passed through the Visayas Region of the Philippines with wind speeds equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane. Within 24 hours, International Medical Corps’ First Responders delivered emergency medical services and relief in the aftermath of the typhoon which left widespread devastation and claimed more than 6,000 lives.

With support from our donors, we were able rapidly to provide lifesaving care; procure needed medicines, supplies, and materials to make health facilities functional; rebuild school infrastructure to keep children healthy; and train national staff to save and improve lives through integrated approaches to care. These programs have helped typhoon-affected communities recover from this emergency. By helping them build back better now, we can ensure that they are more self-reliant in the future.

When many international organizations left the island nation after the initial emergency ended, International Medical Corps stayed and set up programs to help victims recover and become self-reliant once more. Currently, International Medical Corps is providing services in health and capacity strengthening, nutrition, mental health and water sanitation and hygiene in 17 municipalities Leyte, the province most affected by the typhoon.

In order to help prepare the health system in Leyte Province for future disasters, International Medical Corps has been rehabilitating essential health facilities by training doctors and nurses, and restocking essential medical supplies and equipment. In 2014, International Medical Corps:

• Rehabilitated and repaired 21 health facilities and provided supplies to 7 rural health units and 1 district hospital, reaching an estimated 181,000 people;
• Trained 350 healthcare workers in 7 municipalities on disease prevention and reproductive and maternal health; and,
• Trained more than 700 Community Health Team members in 264 barangays on community-based tracking of pregnancy, births and newborns.

Similarly, International Medical Corps identified and treated acute malnutrition and prevented malnutrition by promoting optimal infant and young child feeding. The program targeted children under five as well as pregnant and nursing mothers in 10 municipalities. In 2014, International Medical Corps conducted more than 90,000 screenings of children for acute malnutrition, and trained more than 600 local health professionals on nutrition needs during emergencies.

Furthermore,International Medical Corps promotes water supply and hygiene education in at-risk schools, to remedy the large-scale damage to water and sanitation infrastructure as a result of Typhoon Haiyan. Such damage continues to threaten the health of vulnerable communities and puts children, in particular, at risk for contracting communicable diseases. In 2014, benefitting more than 57,000 individuals, International Medical Corps rehabilitated WASH systems in 144 schools;provided hygiene training at 130 schools;trained close to 1,500 teachers in proper hygiene practices; and, trained more than 300 students and 125 teachers as hygiene champions, to train others.

In addition, International Medical Corps has enhanced the capacity of national staff to offer mental health and psychosocial support services through training and education. The program includes sensitization training to help improve local response systems. In 2014, International Medical Corps:

• Trained 25 local health staff who will themselves train 600 community health workers, reaching a population of close to 250,000 people;
• Created 16 multidisciplinary mental health teams to increase municipal coordination;
• Reached more than 4,000 community members in activities to raise awareness of mental health needs, and developed 9 educational brochures.

Thanks to the support of GlobalGiving and other donors, we are able rapidly to provide lifesaving services and train national staff to increase their capacity and provide sustainable results. Today, we are addressing gaps in the healthcare system to help build the resiliency of local communities and improve the communities’ wellbeing. Specifically, we are active in the areas of mental health and psychosocial services, adolescent sexual and reproductive health, and the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer, while assessing resiliency capacities for future programming.

With the support of our donors, we have been able to support typhoon-affected communities as they bring normalcy back into their lives and continue the long process of recovery. By building back better, they will move closer to self-reliance.