Rising from the rubbles

Leyte, Philippines

November 2014

“Leyte has risen. But of course, in this world of inequality, the poor are always the last ones to rise. We visited them. We shared the little that we had. They truly appreciated it. And we are blessed in the process. But we could not have done this without friends from all over the world (from the Philippines and elsewhere in this beloved Mother Earth) who shared their time, talent and resources to enable us to do this. Thank you all for sharing the joy of giving”.

Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Typhoon Yolanda, was one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded, which devastated portions of Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines, on November 8, 2013.

This happened just three weeks after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake devastated a significant part (i.e. 19 out of 48 municipalities) of our province (Bohol). We were still “nursing our own wounds” when we had to respond to the needs of a neighboring province (Leyte) that suffered heavier losses. Bohol had 200 plus fatalities; but Leyte had 6,000 according to official count, (18,000 according to unofficial count).

We delivered immediate relief (food and water) to the victims of the Bohol earthquake. On a medium term period, we bought UN-accredited water filters and distributed these to communities where they were needed.

For the long haul, we designed a health workshop that teaches village health workers to produce their own medicines out of local herbs while at the same time teaching them how to deal with trauma, especially among children belonging to affected families.

We successfully held the workshop in Bohol (see previous report with photos). And the health workers of the other half of the province are requesting for the same workshop to be held at their location even if they were not victims of the earthquake.

But we prioritized the victims of typhoon Yolanda in the provinces of Leyte, Samar and Iloilo. We offered it to them repeatedly through various organizations (both government and nongovernment). None of them however took the offer, saying they were busy rebuilding their homes as a matter of priority. We did not insist.

Instead, we continued to hold Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) workshops in Manila, Cebu and Bohol, even as we are trying to establish contacts for AVP in Mindanao.

On the occasion of Typhoon Yolanda’s first year anniversary, we deemed it necessary to visit Leyte, the place hardest hit by the cyclone. We visited families of children below 12 months old and brought water filters for their use. It was a tiresome and challenging travel. But we were blessed. We continue to offer our help; serving as the hands of Ffriends around the world who truly care.

LUDWIG, MARJORIE, & BONI

Bohol Worshipping Group, Religious Society of Friends (Quakers, Philippines)