Aid to Refugees of Storms, Floods, and Violence

In December 2021, massive Super Typhoon Rai/ Odette, battered the central islands of the Philippines with thousands of houses destroyed, more than 380,000 families were displaced amounting to more than 1,500,000 people. During Christmas week, Asia America Initiative and partner organizations began delivering relief supplies in areas outside of Cebu City.  We targeted communities who lacked assistance from international and national organizations.  Mobilizing convoys of trucks and jeeps filled with good, water, blankets and hygiene supplies were hampered by destroyed roads and bridges. Making matters more difficult, a rapidly-spreading Covid-19 outbreak threatened flood vicims and relief workers.

We are happy to report that thanks to the generous logistics support of IPI Corporation, which has headquarters in Cebu, we were able to transport our volunteers led Ms. Lourdes who have been able to provide life-saving aid to more than 50,000 people in the Cebu and Bohol island areas.  Among the ruins of uprooted trees, downed power lines and the debris of flattened wooden houses, AAI and IPI teams set up distribution stations along the roads near villages where lines of family heads and the elderly patiently waited for the sacks of food, bottles of water and hygiene supplies.  "We did not expect such generosity," said Mrs. Octavio, in Site 8 of Banhigan Badian village in Cebu Province. " Our home was smashed by high winds in the storm and our farm fields are now barren.  We did not know if anyone realized that we are alive and need the most basic items for survival."                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         A more difficult area to reach was the Surigao area in the remote northeastern coastal area of the Philippines' Mindanao region.  Our volunteers, who originated largely from Zamboanga in the very southern-most area of  Mindanao were organized by Dr. Yolanda woprking out of her home in California. We began a second aid convoy immediately after the  New Year, with support from rice merchants and fish processing centers in Zamboanga and agricultural cooperatives in the Davao area. 

Our "caravan" of vehicles is delivering much-needed relief to the hardest hit, most difficult areas. The group traveled from Zamboanga across treacherous mountain roads to the province of Surigao del Norte.  Our outreach area is the Caraga Region, where 500,000 inhabitants include at least 20 percent tribal peoples who usually remain isolated from the outside world.  In addition, armed rebel groups roam the area in violent bands of the New People's Army.  In addition, a sizable number of our volunteers are Muslims who have brotherly relations with their Christian first-response colleagues, but are feared by the Christian Filipinos and tribal peoples in Caraga.

Asia America Initiative has found that the best way to overcome biases and fear is to have everyone working together in performing acts of kindness. The Relief  Aid caravan is supported by local leaders, community organizations, police, and firefighters to deliver urgently needed goods and services to families of all religions and ethnic groups who cannot return to their homes. A local mayor told us, "This is the first time locally that Filipinos from all ethnic and religious groups are rising above their cultural and language barriers because the enthusiasm caused by the relief caravan is contagious."

Our growing coalition of volunteers from all walks of life helped to make the ongoing relief caravan a humble but vital success. Today, Asia America Initiative and our partners continue to provide emergency food, water, tarp shelters, blankets, hygiene, face masks, and basic health care items for families. Due to destroyed farm fields and rising prices of all food items we intend to continue our aid deliveries through 2022.  We are very grateful for your support.

We have already delivered relief to close to 80,000 people. We are currently preparing a second caravan to carry supplies into the most remote areas that are being forgotten or are severely under-served, especially in hard-to-reach areas of Visayas and Mindanao.  We are grateful to all of our GlobalGiving donors.  We could not do this without you!

Links:

• Asia America Initiative website
• UNHCR Report on Typhoon Odette Aftermath