World Renew is currently in the second phase of its Haiyan response, which is being carried out in eleven “barangays” or villages on three islands – Leyte, Panay and Samar – and is being coordinated through the Integral Alliance (a global network of 19 Christian disaster response and development organizations).
Partner
World Renew has a long-standing relationship with the local Christian Reformed Church in the Philippines (CRCP) which included training church members to prepare for and respond to future disasters. This relationship made it possible for World Renew to mobilize and respond quickly to Haiyan. Local church members identified needs, purchased emergency supplies, and began to sort, pack and prepare them for distribution.
Working through the CRCP, World Renew provided emergency food items, including rice, mongo beans, sugar, canned meatloaf, coffee and milk packages to 3,973 households. Another part of this first phase of response was to provide non-food items such as hygiene items, buckets, slippers, medical supplies, and water filtration systems. This was all distributed within seventeen days of the Typhoon reaching the Philippines.
International Relief Managers
To assist World Renew and the CRCP in this ministry, three sets of International Relief Managers were sent to the Philippines in mid-November. Harry and Greta Harsevoort are working on the island of Panay. Bernie Schaaf is working on the island of Samar. And Harry and Annie Bergshoeff are working on the island of Leyte. World Renew’s Senior Project Manager, Grace Wiebe, also travelled to the Philippines to help coordinate details.
These North Americans have attended various meetings with mayors, community leaders, and other aid organizations to coordinate responses. They have hired local staff and set up local offices. They have also consulted with individuals in affected communities to determine what type of assistance is needed both in the short term and for long-term rebuilding. As a result of these assessments, World Renew decided to focus its attentions for phase two of its response on areas that are underserved by other organizations.
Current Phase
Phase Two of World Renew’s response began in late December and will last until February 2014. It includes additional distribution of non-food items, the provision of transitional power to affected communities, psycho-social care and the start of some livelihood programs.
“The people have all either partially or totally lost their homes and were overjoyed to receive some household goods,” said Greta Harsevoort on December 30, after a distribution of small cooking stoves, solar lamps, dishes, tumblers, cutlery, mosquito nets, sleeping mats, towels, cooking pots, and washbasins to affected families. “They eagerly began lining up outside the gate, early in the day. Their happy faces, along with their smiles and waves and expressions of thankfulness and appreciation warmed our hearts”.
In addition to these goods for individual households, World Renew also provided 23 generators to affected communities. World Renew’s International Relief Managers worked with local communities to help them form committees made up of both men and women, who would regulate the use and care of each generator. This included choosing fair and optimal locations, learning to maintain the machines and developing a community plan to pay for refueling costs.
To respond to the emotional and psychological needs of disaster survivors, World Renew is training psychological “first aid” responders in churches who can conduct one-on-one sessions. We are also providing physco-social processing and stress-debriefing training for pastors, church elders, community organizers, community leaders, and project staff. In addition, a team of artists/storytellers, psychologists and spiritual counselors will also develop activities that specifically address the needs of children.
The final component of phase two will be a cash-for-work program. In many of the barangays where World Renew is working, families have lost their fishing boats and other sources of livelihood. The program will provide money to families in exchange for 12 days of work on community clean-up activities.
Phase Three
Phase three of World Renew’s response will begin in March 2014 and will focus on restoring people’s livelihoods. This will likely include providing fishing boats and nets to families in coastal areas, rehabilitation of rice paddies in inland areas, and some small business loans. Stage three will also continue to include psycho- social support programs to address delayed trauma. This will be followed by a fourth phase addressing the need for more safe and secure permanent shelter.
World Renew is deeply grateful to all the people who have made this ministry possible through their prayers and financial gifts. Together, we are helping nearly 4,000 families rebuild after devastating loss.