CARE Philippines: Emergency Relief Philippines | NGO Philippines

Story by Dennis Amata (Communications & Knowledge Manager, CARE Philippines)

Typhoon Yolanda, internationally known as Haiyan, has become a name that’s hard to forget. The super typhoon wiped out homes, killed more than 6,300 people, and devastated agricultural lands leaving those who survived homeless and without any source of income. But for the people who witnessed its wrath, the only way to move forward was to pick up the pieces and rise.

“What we experienced after Yolanda was unimaginable. But through the years we’ve managed to recover and now we can say we are more prepared for future disasters,” said Yolanda Colbe, a cassava farmer from Carigara, Leyte.

Yolanda, who is frequently teased by her neighbors because of her name, showed determination to get back on her feet five years after the typhoon made a scourging landfall. She is one of the 153,206 people being supported by international humanitarian organization CARE in strengthening livelihoods and preparing for disasters.

“After Yolanda, Leyte and Samar were hit by relatively strong typhoons that also left huge agricultural damage. This hampered the recovery efforts of the affected people who heavily relied on agriculture,” shared Tess Bayombong, Project Team Leader of CARE Philippines.

Bayombong sees the importance of establishing resilient livelihoods, ensuring community participation and partnering with different stakeholders to recover from a major disaster like Yolanda.

Moving forward after Haiyan

The Government of Canada, through the Global Affairs Canada (GAC), helped CARE bridge emergency to development phase through the “Typhoon Haiyan Reconstruction Assistance” (THRA), a four-year project that supports economic reconstruction of the affected people in Leyte, Antique and Iloilo. THRA uses the value chain development approach focusing on abaca, cassava, herb, seaweed and vegetables.

Through the THRA project, CARE and its partners are able to support 193 community associations (110 in Leyte and neighboring Biliran) through technical assistance, provision of tools and equipment for their enterprises, and trainings on entrepreneurship, financial literacy, values formation, sustainable agriculture, disaster preparedness, climate change adaptation, gender and development and other industry-focused subjects.

Colbe, who is also a farmers’ association president, shared that they have learned so many lessons after Yolanda. In Leyte, they had to look for other sources of income because coconut plantations were severely damaged. While waiting for coconut trees to fully recover, they find cassava production an equally beneficial alternative given the available market.

“The trainings helped us mobilize farmers in our community and start improving and expanding our cassava plantations. Now we get to earn from cassava production and help our families,” added Colbe.

Climate-resilient livelihoods

CARE’s assisted community associations in Leyte are now practicing organic farming and applying eco-friendly and innovative agricultural techniques in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, Philrootcrops and Agricultural Training Institute. Farmers and commodity processors have set up demo farms for other associations to replicate good agricultural practices and learn about intercropping.

Farmers are also using solar dryers for their products, building structures according to “Build back safer” techniques and ensuring that their livelihoods don’t degrade the ecosystem.

A tripartite agreement among CARE, Fatima Multi-Purpose Cooperative (FMPC) and Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) was signed, providing assisted farmers with insurance cover for crops and livestock and personal insurance for both accident and life. This is seen as a risk mitigating measure and a vital step towards the promotion of resiliency and sustainability.

Meaningful collaboration

Collaboration among humanitarian organizations, communities, donors, government agencies, local government units, academic institutions and private companies is key to achieving resilient livelihoods.

“It is not just CARE’s work. The partnerships we’ve built and maintained greatly contributed to the sustainability of the livelihoods we supported. The complementation of our project with other existing livelihood programs of other agencies enables us to multiply our impact,” shared Bayombong.

After Yolanda, the farmers were organized to form community associations. In Leyte, CARE and its partner FMPC have also facilitated the registration of farmers’ associations with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) so they can access more support from the Government and make business with industrial buyers. Some of these associations were able to prepare proposals and have received equipment, seeds and financial and technical support from government agencies.

“Before Haiyan, we were just producing cassava for household consumption. But after participating in CARE’s livelihood project, we learned that cassava has a market in our province and there’s a big company buying processed cassava,” said Colbe.

Colbe sees more opportunities beyond the livelihood support provided by humanitarian organizations. Because of their hard work, her association recently became a Regional and National Awardee of DOLE’s Kabuhayan Awards, a recognition system under the DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program, and even received additional financial assistance.

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About THRA project: The Typhoon Haiyan Reconstruction Assistance (THRA) project is a four-year development project financially supported by the Government of Canada through the Global Affairs Canada and implemented by CARE in the Philippines. The project supports the economic reconstruction of people affected by typhoon Yolanda in Leyte, Antique and Iloilo.

Typhoon Rosita (internationally known as Yutu) made landfall in Dinapigue, Isabela, Philippines at 4 a.m. on Tuesday. It then passed through several provinces in the northern part of the country. The typhoon is moving slightly slower to the west at 20 kilometers per hour (km/h) speed from the previous 25 km/h. The typhoon continues to have maximum winds of 140 km/h and gustiness of up to 230 km/h.

Communities hit by typhoon Rosita in Isabela and Aurora provinces experienced strong winds and heavy rains. The country’s weather bureau PAGASA warned that flash floods and landslides are still possible in areas in the typhoon’s path.

“It is very unfortunate that another strong typhoon has hit the country especially for those who also bore the brunt of typhoon Ompong (internationally known as Mangkhut) last month. Communities in the mountainous areas in the Cordillera region remain to be vulnerable as they haven’t fully recovered yet from the devastating landslides because of Ompong,” said Tess Bayombong, Acting Country Director of CARE Philippines.

CARE has activated its emergency response team and is closely coordinating with local partners Cordillera Disaster Response and Development Services (Cordis RDS) and Cagayan Valley Disaster Response Center for immediate response.

The Philippine Government and humanitarian organizations are now planning/conducting for damage and needs assessment in the affected areas. CARE is preparing for an assessment and immediate relief support in mountainous communities of Benguet province with its local partner Cordis RDS.

CARE has worked in the Philippines since 1949, providing emergency relief when disaster strikes and helping communities prepare for disasters. CARE specializes in providing life-saving assistance with focus on women and girls.

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For media interview requests, please contact Dennis Amata, Communications and Knowledge Manager of CARE Philippines (mobile: +63 917 5108150 / email: dennis.amata@care.org / Skype: dennis.amata2)

CARE makes history after organizing the 1st Leyte Cassava Congress in collaboration with the Global Affairs Canada, Fatima Multi-Purpose Cooperative (FMPC), Philirootcrops and Philippine government agencies at the Visayas State University.

The event, attended by over 300 people, brought small-scale cassava farmers closer to government agency officials and other service providers for additional support, and San Miguel Foods and Beverage Inc., the largest buyer of cassava in the province.

Through CARE’s Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) Reconstruction Assistance (THRA) project, farmers’ associations are strengthened and empowered to increase productivity, income, and access to resources.

“The Cassava Congress is part of our value chain development efforts to ensure the sustainability of this livelihood endeavor. This supports our objective to help farmers contribute to Leyte’s booming cassava production industry,” said Tess Bayombong, Project Team Leader of THRA.

More than 240 community associations in Leyte and Biliran have become part of this project. Over 13,300 farmers (69% women) were trained and given technical assistance by CARE to boost their livelihoods.

The farmers, who heavily relied on coconut farming, lost their livelihoods when Typhoon Yolanda left catastrophic damage in Leyte. While waiting for coconut trees to fully recover, they find cassava production an equally beneficial alternative given the available market. Also, more women have now participated in cassava production and some of them have even become active association presidents.

“We are very thankful for this project as we are able to mobilize farmers in our community and start improving and expanding our cassava plantations. Now we get to earn from cassava production and help our families,” said Yolanda Colbe, President of Brgy. Cutay Gudti Nga Parag-uma Farmers’ Association in Carigara.

CARE and its partner FMPC have also facilitated the registration of community farmers associations with the Department of Labor and Employment so they can access more support from the Government. Some of these associations were able to prepare proposals and have received equipment, seeds and financial and technical support from government agencies.

Also, in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture (DA), farmers were trained on “Good Agricultural Practices” focusing on organic farming and productivity. To be able to minimize loss during disasters, farmers have also availed crop insurance from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation.

“We were able to receive entrepreneurial training from CARE. Aside from cassava farming, we have also engaged in cassava chip making for additional income. We also received a cassava grater from the DA and also additional cassava processing equipment from CARE. It is such a big help and gives us another livelihood opportunity,” said Nida Lauron, President of Baruhogay Sur Farmers Association in Carigara.

The THRA project in Leyte is closely coordinated with other government agencies such as the Philrootcrops, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Trade and Industry, DA, Department of Social Welfare and Development-Sustainable Livelihood Program and Agricultural Training Institute.

Story by Dennis Amata (Communications & Knowledge Manager, CARE Philippines)

The sun slowly sets over the picturesque Lanao Lake in Marawi City. Janerah Abdulmoin, CARE’s Program Coordinator for its Marawi Crisis Response project, looks at the sky in vibrant red and orange also reflected across the water. She can’t help but recall her days as a college student at Mindanao State University adjacent to the calm lake.

Marawi used to be a busy and vigorous city where Maranaos (local people from Marawi) harmoniously did business with each other until a bloody siege between the Philippine military forces and the ISIS-affiliated Maute Group struck.

“I was a college instructor in Jamiatul Philippine Al-Islamia, an Islamic academic institution in Marawi when the clash happened. It was like a normal day in the university until we heard disturbing noise from helicopters swarming the place and a series of gunshots that immediately sent shiver down our spine,” shared Janerah.

The 23-year-old Janerah tried her best to hide her fears to lead her students. “I told them not to go outside the building and wait for further instructions from our security personnel. We were informed of the ongoing armed battle between the soldiers and a rebel group. Civilians especially the Maranaos were told by the Maute group to leave the city.”

“My parents hurried to the university where I worked. I could feel the fear revealed by their trembling voices. We decided to leave the city and went to our hometown Ditsaan-Ramain, a town next to Marawi. We worriedly rushed to our usual routes but they were all taken over by the Maute group so we looked for other possible exit points. We literally fought for our life as we tried not to be seized nor become victims of stray bullets,” she said.

Janerah and her family were able to safely leave Marawi after encountering several Maute group members along the way. They were allowed to leave the city because they’re Maranaos and could speak the local dialect.

“When we were on our way out, we all breathed a sigh of relief but were abruptly terrified after hearing loud booms and gun shots from afar. It was painful to see that the city we love and consider our second home was slowly ruined into pieces, said Janerah.

Janerah’s siblings were also trapped in Marawi on that day but fortunately escaped the rebel group. Thousands of families flocked to nearby towns and communities seeking refuge. Janerah’s sister was part of Al Mujadillah Development Foundation (AMDF), a non-government organization focusing on women and girls. That time, AMDF immediately mobilized their staff to provide emergency assistance to families displaced by the conflict.

“I felt the need to support the displaced people from Marawi. My sister got me involved in AMDF’s relief operations and psychosocial therapy sessions.”

Janerah’s humanitarian role continues as CARE has partnered with AMDF to provide immediate assistance. She saw an opportunity to be part of CARE’s emergency response project.

“At first, I was hesitant to apply because I’m young. I felt I didn’t have much experience in humanitarian response but thinking about the plight of the affected people, I knew I needed to act and do something for them.”

Janerah was ecstatic when she got CARE’s trust to lead its field activities in Marawi. In close collaboration with AMDF, CARE was able to provide cash support to internally displaced people temporarily staying in evacuation camps or with their relatives/host families. She also joined “Family Conversation Sessions” (fam con), an approach by CARE and AMDF on providing psychosocial support to shocked and traumatized families.

One year after the armed conflict, some families still feel the pain of yesterday and still away from home. This is also aggravated by the loss of their assets and livelihoods. Janerah and AMDF continue to conduct fam con sessions to discuss their recovery plans, educate about women’s rights and address violence against women and children. The displacement has also led to various protection issues that need to be addressed.

“Through the sessions, I’ve heard of various distressing stories of women and girls about the unfavorable conditions they experience. Because of our culture, women do not typically report any abuse or harassment. So most of the time, they just keep it to themselves. And if the abuse becomes repetitive or severe, it would absolutely affect their emotional and psychological state,” shared Janerah.

Despite the challenges, Janerah keeps on educating women and girls about their rights and referral pathways for violence against women and children. CARE and AMDF also formed sessions that greatly involve men and boys to engage them in pushing for this advocacy.

Janerah believes that people affected by the siege will be able to recover. She is happy whenever women and girls tell her that they now know their rights and the authorities they can go to if there are cases of abuse and harassment.

“What keeps me motivated as a humanitarian worker is seeing that our work has positive impact in the lives of people who need help. Gaining knowledge is an integral part of empowerment. If we empower women, it will also help empower the entire community,” said Janerah.

Janerah continues to work for CARE as humanitarian actors now focus on the rehabilitation and recovery of Marawi and the affected people. CARE is currently partnering with AMDF and Mindanao Coalition of Development NGOs to conduct family conversation sessions, and implement a project on sexual and reproductive health and rights.

“I believe that Marawi will regain its vibrant atmosphere one day. And we will all appreciate the lovely sunset over Lanao Lake, just like the old times.”

Typhoon Mangkhut, locally known as Ompong, brought ferocious winds and blinding rain that left infrastructure and agricultural damage to provinces in northern Philippines. Over 58,000 people have evacuated according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

CARE immediately sent an emergency response team to Cagayan ahead of the typhoon’s landfall. Jerome Lanit, CARE’s Emergency Coordinator, shared that the team experienced howling winds and pounding rain while staying in Tuguegarao City.

“We hope that Mangkhut is not as devastating as Haiyan but we expect significant economic damage and impact on livelihoods,” said David Gazashvili, CARE Philippines Country Director.

“CARE has also brought some supplies shelter repair materials ready to be distributed to the affected families. Our teams continue to coordinate with local officials and humanitarian responders on the ground to effectively address the immediate needs of the affected population,” added Gazashvili.

CARE’s emergency teams are now assessing the damage and needs of affected population in the most severely hit towns of Cagayan, an agriculture-dependent province. CARE has teamed up with Cagayan Valley Disaster Response Center, Oxfam Philippines and Citizens Disaster Response Center in conducting the assessments.

“We have seen several damaged houses and blown off roofs. The evacuation center in a coastal community we visited in Aparri was even damaged. Also, rice and corn plantations are severely affected. The farmers weren’t able to do emergency harvest because the crops were immature. The northernmost towns of Cagayan are believed to be badly hit and it is still difficult to access these areas as of the moment,” said Madel Montejo, CARE Philippines Emergency Response Team Member

“The people say they need food, water, dry clothes and shelter repair materials,” added Montejo.

The World Meteorological Organisation billed the storm as the strongest tropical cyclone the world has faced so far this year. Mangkhut is the 15^th storm to hit the Philippines in 2018.

“Extreme weather events being experienced in the Philippines like Mangkhut is a reminder that climate change truly affects the poor and marginalized rural communities. CARE continues to work with communities, the Philippine Government and the civil society in advocating for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction,” said Gazashvili.

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For media interview requests, please contact Dennis Amata, Communications and Knowledge Manager of CARE Philippines (mobile: +63 917 5108150 / email: dennis.amata@care.org / Skype: dennis.amata2)

“We now have a farm where we both learn and earn.”

This is what Rhodora Anos, a vegetable farmer and community leader, excitedly shared after opening their demonstration farms to visitors.

Over 150 farmers from six communities in the town of Lemery, Iloilo, Philippines collaboratively set up vegetable season-long technology demonstration farms to apply good agricultural practices and innovative farming techniques to increase yield.

CARE, in partnership with Taytay sa Kauswagan (TSKI), Department of Agriculture (DA), and Municipal Government of Lemery, continuously supports farmers affected by Typhoon Haiyan build resilience and adapt to climate change through the application of good agricultural practices and eco-friendly farming technologies. There are five demo farms in Lemery that engage more farmers in boosting the town’s vegetable industry and provide more livelihood opportunities for both women and men.

Through this initiative, vegetable farmers get to have a practical and hands-on learning on integrated crop management and organic farming, and replicate on their own vegetable farms or gardens. The demo farms provide them new skills in seedling culture, land preparation, soil management, pruning, crop protection, harvesting, etc.

The farmers’ associations are also assisted by CARE and TSKI in preparing their plan for production and marketing to ensure sustainability.

“The main goals of the demo farms are to provide new skills and knowledge to more farmers in Lemery and increase their production and sales. This will be a big help to farmers who primarily generate income from vegetable farming,” said Tess Bayombong, Project Team Leader of Typhoon Haiyan Reconstruction Assistance (THRA).

“These demo farms have also opened opportunities for women in rural communities like me to have a source of income and at the same time learn new practical skills,” shared Anos.

CARE’s THRA project in Iloilo is financially supported by the Government of Canada through the Global Affairs Canada. It supports the town’s vegetable value chain through the provision of financial assistance and technical training from agricultural inputs to production to trading.

The Northern Hemisphere is experiencing one of the hottest summers in recent history, while heatwaves, droughts wildfires and massive crop shortfalls are currently occurring around the globe. Impacts have been widespread as Japan, Algeria and Canada have experienced heat-related deaths while wildfires ravage California, Greece and Sweden.

Many of these countries are now experiencing the reality of climate change impacts that many poor countries have been experiencing for decades. This situation will become worse if countries, particularly those that have contributed the most to climate change, do not significantly ramp up their ambition and decrease greenhouse gas emissions to prevent more frequent and intense heatwaves. Current pledges by countries are insufficient to prevent a rise in global temperature above the Paris Agreement limit of 2°C, let alone 1.5°C.

Sven Harmeling, CARE International’s Global Policy Lead on Climate Change and Resilience says, “It is irrefutable that the likelihood and intensity of current heatwaves are exacerbated by human-caused climate change. As climate change continues to escalate, the world is experiencing its consequences in the form of record temperatures, wildfires, heat-related deaths and droughts. It is vital that humans decrease their impact on climate change by immediately shifting to renewable energies to prevent a rise in temperature above 1.5°C. If we do not see countries make a significant reduction in anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, the devastating impacts of climate change will further ravage the planet, particularly the most vulnerable many of whom are women and girls.”

Impacts of rising temperatures across the world are substantial. Examples of findings on record-breaking temperatures this summer include:
–NASA finds that June 2018 ties for the third warmest June, globally, in the 138 years of modern record-keeping, behind June 2015 and June 2016
– This summer is likely to be hottest on record in the UK finds Met Office with daily average maximum temperatures at 20.9°C.
– Many countries break all-time temperature records such as Scotland, Northern Ireland, Russia, Iraq, Canada, Japan and Algeria
– Southern Africa has been struck by massive harvest shortfall due to lack of rain and droughts which have caused intense food and nutrition insecurity
– Wildfires across Europe have increased by 43% compared to the average over the last 10 years, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). Particular countries are more affected than others, such Sweden, Greece, and the UK
– Climate change impacts are likely to worsen if the world sees a rise in global average temperatures above 1.5°C, the goal agreed upon in the Paris Agreement. For example, a recent article in Nature Climate Change found that substantially more people will be exposed to record-breaking temperatures with a 2°C warming compared to 1.5°C.

For media enquiries, please contact: Camilla Schramek, cschramek@careclimatechange.org or +45 50 22 92 88

Corazon Umalde proves the saying “A man may work from dusk to dawn, but a woman’s work is never done.” Being a single mother, it is a tough challenge for her to entirely raise all her children and provide their needs. But because of her love for her children, she’d do everything to provide for them even if she has to harvest abaca (Manila hemp) in the mountains every day.

Abaca farmers in Antique, Philippines have experienced the devastation of Haiyan, the strongest typhoon that made landfall. Four years after the unforgettable experience, they did more than just recover. More women are now actively engaging in abaca farming and able to support their family’s needs.

Corazon and the abaca farmers in Antique are being supported by CARE, Antique Development Foundation and the Global Affairs Canada in boosting and strengthening the abaca production in the province that gives additional income to them.

Why is integrating resilience into humanitarian action important?

The frequency and intensity of disasters and numbers of people worldwide affected by them continue to grow. CARE’s humanitarian mandate requires us to respond quickly to save lives in such disaster events. But many disasters and crises are also becoming chronic and multidimensional, forming ‘a new normal’ within these settings. This ‘new normal’ requires new ways of working to reduce risks, mitigate the impacts of disasters to save lives and protect livelihoods, and to harness development gains from recurring disasters. While saving lives remains CARE’s immediate priority in humanitarian action, increasing the resilience of those affected by disasters to better deal with future shocks and stresses as they arise is critical to achieving CARE’s vision of a just world, without poverty.

12 key principles for integrating resilience into humanitarian action
•Participation of women, girls, boys and men, including those from marginalized groups, among the affected community is vital for increasing resilience
•Risk, and particularly vulnerability, must be understood, monitored and reduced
•Integrated approaches are needed
•We need to work differently in the face of growing humanitarian needs, more complex crises, and increasing unpredictability due to climate change
•Long-term and coordinated planning across development and humanitarian operations
•Preparedness planning
•Anticipate crisis scenarios
•Partner with a long-term aim of building resilient local organizations and structures
•Have a market-based approach
•Promote and work alongside existing national social safety net systems
•Understand and utilize the ‘first response’ value of VSLAs
•Use the Resilience Marker