CEBU – One year after Super Typhoon Haiyan ripped through the central Philippines, tens of thousands of families whose livelihoods were devastated are returning to work with the support of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
Some 30,000 households have so far received cash grants of up to $220 as part of the Philippine Red Cross’s three-year $360 million recovery plan which will support 500,000 people across the provinces of Leyte, Samar, Cebu, Panay and Palawan islands.
Pigs, goats, chickens and stock for convenience or ‘sari-sari’ stores are among the most popular items being bought by Haiyan survivors as part of the livelihoods program.
Initial data shows farming, rearing livestock and setting up local convenience shops are the top three income-generators for those who have received Red Cross support.
“Kick-starting livelihoods is key to the long term recovery of disaster-hit communities and we have made this a priority in our work, as well as housing. One year after Haiyan robbed so many families of their income, we are seeing people return to work and others setting up new businesses,” said Philippine Red Cross Chairman Richard Gordon.
Peanut butter production, candle making, and turning truck tires into kitchen kit are also among the micro-enterprises that have been set up by entrepreneurs using the grants.
Six million workers saw their livelihoods either wiped out or damaged by the disaster – of which 2.6 million were living on or below the poverty line before the typhoon.
Vocational training such as sustainable farming techniques, hog rearing, book keeping, arithmetic and advice on how to diversify and grow businesses is also part of the Red Cross support package.
Philippine Red Cross Secretary General Gwendolyn Pang said: “Recovery is well under way but there are still humanitarian needs on the ground and we are working across 400 communities (barangays) to ensure people get the support they need to rebuild their lives.”
Rice farmer Jessie Lape, Jr., a father of three from Luca in Ajuy, Panay, said: “The typhoon wiped out our crops and we had nothing to harvest – it was a desperate time. But the livelihood support has changed everything – I had the money to buy seeds, repair tools and now I have crop insurance. I can sleep easier knowing we are in a better position when the next typhoon hits.”
More than 1.3 million people were provided with emergency relief in the aftermath and one year on, the Red Cross’s long term recovery plan is targeting some of the most vulnerable typhoon survivors.
Philippine Red Cross said building back safer shelters and community training on construction practices are a central part of the plan, which places resilience and risk-reduction at its heart. It said courses for masons and carpenters are being held and more than 6,500 fishermen have been provided with cash to buy or repair damaged boats.
It added that almost 6,100 houses have been rebuilt and in the next 15 months, and 40,000 families will have received safer homes. More than 23,000 households have also received roofing sheets to repair their homes. A total of 192 classrooms have been repaired or rebuilt so far and rural health facilities are also being restored. (Cebu Examiner, Red Cross)
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