Nestled between mountains and the sea on the Island of Panay, the village of Tagbak in the Philippines has seen new life and hope thanks to support from people across North America and the efforts of World Renew. 

A little over a year ago, this tiny village was almost completely wiped out by Typhoon Haiyan.  When the storm hit in November 2014, it destroyed over a hundred homes and took away people’s main sources of livelihoods.

Thanks to the generous support of churches and individuals across the United States and Canada, World Renew was able to walk alongside the people of Tagbak over the past 17 months to help them rebuild and, in fact, improve their lives.

While you can travel to Tagbak over land, the journey is far from easy.  You can take a four-wheel drive vehicle over deeply rutted roads, or you can use a small motorbike or bicycle and take a trail over the mountain. World Renew’s International Relief Manager, Hilda VanGyssel, prefers to take the more scenic sea route.

“My favourite way to gain access to Tagbak is to go by bunka, a small boat with outriggers and a small motor,” she said, “The views are breath-taking.”

In this tiny village, 25 homes have been repaired and 107 homes have been completely rebuilt by World Renew following Typhoon Haiyan.  Each of these homes is now built to the exacting standards of structural engineers so that they can withstand hurricane-force winds as well as earthquakes.

In addition, World Renew worked alongside the local people to help them restore their livelihoods. For example, one of the most common industries in Tagbak before Haiyan was fishing, but the storm washed most people’s boats and nets away. World Renew provided the community with 12 new fishing boats.

Another key industry is mat weaving. People would gather and dry local grasses and use them to make mats for sleeping or drying rice in their own homes as well as to sell at local markets. World Renew has encouraged people to expand this enterprise into new markets.

Thirty-nine mat weavers were given training in how to use dyes on their grasses and to use the coloured grass to create intricate patterns in their products. They were also trained to create purses and bags of various patterns and sizes in addition to mats.

“The local World Renew staff, along with the tourism office and the neighbouring village weavers are all currently researching possibilities of expanding this enterprise into a global export to increase Tagbak’s source of income,” said Van Gyssel. “The local markets are happy to have additional products and neighbouring villages and cities welcome a chance to sell additional products.”

In addition, the local tourism officer is planning to build a resort in the area and wants to include Tagbak as a day trip for tourists. The people are excited as they see possibilities to increase their income and be able to provide more for their families. There is a real hope and a future for the people of Tagbak.

“In a few years when the resort is ready and you are looking for a new tourist destination, remember Tagbak,” Van Gyssel suggested.  “Go there to spend a day learning to weave mats. Go to see the flowers growing around the World Renew village homes. See the fishing boats and share a meal with the local people whose smiles are quick and whose hospitality flows freely. I, for one, certainly hope that this dream of theirs will become their reality!”

 

See additional photos from Tagbak in our Facebook album: