By Mattie Ressler | GlobalGiving Staff
In December 2011, Tropical Storm Washi swept through the Philippines, killing over 1,000 people and displacing thousands more. Especially hard hit were the areas of Cagayan de Oro and Illigan; and President Banigno Aquino III declared a state of national calamity. This month, GlobalGiving disbursed $2,611.50 each to three organizations responding to Tropical Storm Washi and other natural disasters in the Philippines.
The Disaster Management Response Program of De La Salle University collected and distributed relief supplies immediately after Hurricane Washi in December 2011. Relief supplies included clothes, blankets, water, noodles, biscuits, and toiletries, and were delivered through partnerships with organizations such as the Philippine Army and Navy. These supplies are estimated to have reached 11,266 families in thirty communities. With alumni support, the school was also able to provide medical and dental services to evacuees. As time went on, the need for a psychosocial response to the floods became evident. During the month of January, members of De La Salle University’s disaster response team began undertaking needs assessments and will be implementing targeted psychosocial relief for survivors of Hurricane Washi.
Merlin, a medical relief organization, partnered with the Philippine organization Community and Family Services International (CFSI) to deliver hygiene kits and offer basic medical assistance in order to prevent the spread of disease after the storm. Items were purchased locally and relief kits were assembled in the Philippines before being delivered by local staff. These kits were distributed to about 2,000 families or 10,000 people. Merlin will continue to provide these kits for an additional month before winding down its storm relief activities.
Sibol Ng Agham At Teknolohiya Inc (SIBAT) is raising funds to rebuild a microhydro power plant on Rapu-Rapu Island that was damaged by two tropical storms in 2006. This plant will assist the numerous fishing communities living on the island by providing them with sustainable energy access. Upon further communication with the fishing communities, SIBAT found that fishermen currently travel long distances for ice blocks in order to keep their produce fresh. An ice-making facility is being incorporated into construction plans in order to provide a local source for ice: keeping fish fresher, longer, and increasing capacity for the island communities along the way.
Thank you for your support! Your donations through GlobalGiving’s Philippine Flood Relief Fund have assisted these organizations in providing medical assistance, emergency relief supplies, and long-term disaster relief and reconstruction services to families and communities in the Philippines affected by natural disasters.
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When a disaster strikes, recovery efforts led by people who live and work in affected communities are often overlooked and underfunded. GlobalGiving is changing this reality. Since 2004, we've been shifting decision-making power to crises-affected communities through trust-based grantmaking and support.
We make it easy, quick, and safe to support people on the ground who understand needs in their communities better than anyone else.
They were there long before the news cameras arrived, and they’ll be there long after the cameras leave. They know how to make their communities more resilient to future disasters, and they’re already hard at work. GlobalGiving puts donations and grants directly into their hands. Because the status quo—which gives the vast majority of funding to a few large organizations—doesn’t make sense.
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