Before Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines, life had already presented Merna and her husband Ricaredo and their two children with their fair share of challenges.

To make ends meet for the first years of their marriage, Ricaredo worked away from home as a security guard in Manila while Merna remained in their hometown of Palaguian.  Living apart was not ideal, but it did help them pay their bills.

In 2010, Ricaredo was diagnosed with severe pneumonia. Unable to work, he came home to his wife and children in Palaguian. When he was sufficiently well enough to work again, Ricaredo joined Merna in working as a hired labourer on nearby farms. In exchange for their hard work, they received only a small portion of the harvest. They were poor and had no savings to fall back on in times of emergency.

Then, Typhoon Haiyan hit. More than 200 families in Palaguian lost all or part of their homes during this storm including Ricaredo and Merna’s house which collapsed. While many families were able to salvage part of their home and purchase additional supplies to construct makeshift houses, Merna and Ricaredo did not have the means to do this. They simply continued to live in their collapsed house.

“It was tough, especially for our two children. We were crawling and had difficulty to stand inside the house since almost all the posts were down. We kept on praying that God will help us but we are not expecting that he will hear us soon and even give us a stronger house,” Merna explained.

“This is a gift of God. Thank you, World Renew! If you did not help us, it would take us more than ten years for us to construct just a simple house,” said Merna.

World Renew has been responding to the needs of families like Ricaredo and Merna’s since the typhoon hit. This has included food, trauma counseling and emergency supplies.  As the next stage of its response, it also includes new, typhoon-resistant homes for those in need.

World Renew constructed the first prototype of this strong house and gave it to Merna and Ricaredo and their two children! Two other prototype houses are being built in two other communities.

“This is a gift of God. Thank you, World Renew! If you did not help us, it would take us more than ten years for us to construct just a simple house,” said Merna.

While most humanitarian organizations are giving shelter kits to those who lost their homes to Typhoon Haiyan, World Renew is choosing to build homes that can withstand 200kph winds. While these homes are more expensive than other shelters, they will provide families with safety and security when the next storm hits.

Please join World Renew in praising God for this answer to Ricaredo and Merna’s prayer. Please also pray for World Renew and the people of the Philippines as the next rainy season approaches.

Jeff Cosico, World Renew Haiyan Response program manager, reports, “The rainy season is coming, materials are not easy to find, and qualified staff are limited. These are some of the challenges we face, but seeing Merna and her family smile and recognize that there is a God who cares means we will continue to build houses and touch lives, one family and one community at a time.”