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Ten Years On: Typhoon Haiyan’s Legacy of Resilience and Renewal 

  • CARE Philippines
  • Blog, Disaster Response, Latest News & Stories, Stories of Change, Uncategorized, Women and Girls

Written by: Reiza S. Dejito (CARE Philippines)

Ten years ago, Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Yolanda, roared through the central islands of the archipelago. It was a storm that would go down in history as one of the most powerful typhoons ever recorded. Today, we stand a decade removed from the devastation, yet the memories remain, etched into the heart of every survivor and every humanitarian effort that rose from the rubble. Maria Theresa “Tess” Bayombong, a Program Consultant for CARE Philippines, offers a stirring retrospective of the resilience, recovery, and rebirth in the aftermath of the super typhoon. 

Tess’ Recollections: Solidarity Amidst Ruins: “When I first set foot in the typhoon-stricken village of San Miguel, Leyte, the destruction was unimaginable,” Tess begins. “But amidst this landscape of despair, what moved me were not the signs of destruction but the signs of unity and human spirit.” She witnessed a community coming together, embodying the Filipino spirit of “bayanihan”—helping hands and hopeful hearts working in unison to rebuild, even as they carried the weight of their own losses. 

In photo: Ms. Tess Bayombong

“Their gratitude for the simple necessity of roofing materials was a powerful reminder of human resilience,” Tess recalls. “Even when our resources could not reach everyone, the community took it upon themselves to share what little they had, ensuring no one was left unprotected from the elements. This collective sacrifice and kindness were truly inspiring.” 

Impact and Adaptation: The CARE Response: Tess reflects on the long-term impact Haiyan had on the people’s livelihoods, especially in areas like Leyte where coconut farming was not just a job but a way of life passed down through generations. “Seeing the women of these communities, who had lost the very tools of their trade, come together to learn new skills and rebuild their livelihoods was a testament to their indomitable will,” she notes. 

CARE’s adaptive humanitarian response played a pivotal role in this transformation. From immediate life-saving assistance to supporting long-term self-recovery, CARE’s three-phase approach was not only practical but deeply empathetic. Tess speaks proudly of the organization’s efforts in providing technical assistance, training, and financial support that empowered women and rejuvenated local economies.

Lessons Learned: Shaping Future Responses: The greatest lessons come from the hardest experiences. Tess emphasizes that the most crucial takeaway from the Typhoon Haiyan response was the effectiveness of a phased, adaptable approach in emergency response. “It was about listening to the needs of the community and responding in a way that supported not just survival but sustainable growth and self-sufficiency.” 

This experience has indelibly shaped CARE’s approach to disaster preparedness and response. Gender-responsive strategies and financial assistance have helped pave the way for a future where communities are not only ready to face emergencies but are also equipped to thrive afterward.

A Beacon of Hope for Tomorrow: As we commemorate the ten-year anniversary of Typhoon Haiyan, we don’t just look back; we look forward, carrying the lessons and stories of strength with us. Tess’ account is a beacon of hope—an illumination of the path forward marked by solidarity, resilience, and an unwavering commitment to empowerment and preparedness. 

“Typhoon Haiyan was a story of loss, but more importantly, it was a story of hope, of communities coming together, of women taking charge of their destinies, and of an organization that stood by them,” Tess concludes. “Today, we remember, we honor, and we continue to build a more resilient future.”

Managing a Community-Based Coconut Nursery: The Padillos of Calape, Bohol

  • Mary Therese Norbe
  • Featured Stories, Latest News & Stories, Other Topic, Stories of Change

“I’ve learned how to manage a nursery which farmers can establish in their own farms. The training also encouraged us to be smart on how we plant coconuts as well as other crops to avoid losses due to changes in weather conditions”, said Lorna Padillos, 47, a farmer from Barangay Lucob, Calape, Bohol.

She is the manager of the community coconut nursery which is located in a patch of land near their family’s farmhouse. She and her husband, Silvestre, take turns ensuring that the nursery is well taken care of and secured from being damaged by farm animals.

One hundred coconut farmers who are partners in the implementation of the RISE Coco (Recovery Intervention for SEverely Affected Coconut Farming Communities of Bohol by ST Odette) project in Barangay Lucob presently use the nursery to propagate seed nuts and prepare seedlings for planting in their respective farms. Lorna shared that the nursery became a learning venue for them to apply good coconut farming practices such as choosing the best variety of seed nuts to propagate, using organic compost or vermicast as fertilizer, and deciding the appropriate time of the year to plant based on climate conditions that they learned from the series of training conducted through the project. They were also trained on how to manage their finances and how to save for emergencies such as typhoon Odette which took almost everything they own.

“We used to live comfortably before the typhoon. We had a house, a coconut, and a rice farm. We also raised poultry and livestock and tended a vegetable garden for food”, she said.

The typhoon left only one room of their house for them to live in for a while. They lost the coconuts, rice, farm animals, and vegetables to the harsh winds and heavy rains. The experience left the couple devastated and didn’t know how to provide for their family’s daily needs.

They received financial and material assistance from the government which only lasted for a couple of months. They had to rely on one of their children who was already working to provide them with money for repairing their house and to have something to eat daily. To start farming, they borrowed money from lenders to buy farm inputs like seeds and fertilizers. However, they found it difficult to source coconut seedlings because all of Bohol was heavily affected by the typhoon.

When the RISE Coco project staff conducted a consultation in their barangay in August 2022, their family was selected as one of the beneficiaries in their community and were oriented about the project. They accepted to be part of the project because of their interest in recovering their coconut farm. She and her husband underwent training on financial literacy and sustainable good agriculture including climate-resilient coconut farming.

With the establishment of the nursery, Lorna became its manager. This was during the long dry season and propagating seed nuts was a challenge because of the intense heat. She and her husband, along with other farmers took turns in watering the seed nuts every day to prevent them from withering. Their hard work paid off. By October 2023, they were able to propagate almost 3,9678 seed nuts and seedlings. Out of these, they have replanted 2,849 coconuts in various beneficiary farms.  

As a manager, she has the challenging task of encouraging her fellow coconut farmers to be responsible for their seed nuts and seedlings in the nursery. She sees it as a sustainable source of seedlings and income for the members. Many farms in the province are still struggling to find a good source of copra-quality seedlings. Community-based nurseries that are well-managed like theirs could earn from selling their seedlings.

“We rehabilitate our farms and we will no longer worry about where to get seedlings when we need them”, she added. 

The RISE Coco project aims to address the critical needs of typhoon Odette-affected coconut farmers for livelihood support, primarily the alternative sources of income while rehabilitating their damaged coconut trees in 2 years. It is implemented by CARE in partnership with the CebuBohol Relief and Rehabilitation Center and supported by Cargill.

Opening Open Government: Women’s Rights Organisations and the Open Government Partnership in the Philippines

  • Mary Therese Norbe
  • Evaluation / Research, Reports & Publications, Women and Girls

The Open Government Partnership (OGP) is a multilateral initiative to advance open government through collaboration between government and civil society. Governments work with civil society in multi-stakeholder forums to co-create Action Plans that contain commitments to advance transparency, participation, and accountability.

Briefer: Women Lead in Emergencies Polling Research

The Women Lead in Emergencies (WLiE) is a Research Project of CARE Philippines, the National Democratic Institute (NDI), and the National Society of Informal Workers in the Philippines (PATAMABA) that will last six months from May to November 2023.

Conflict-affected community in Basilan receives aid thru CARE, partners

  • Mary Therese Norbe
  • Blog, Disaster Response, Featured Stories, Press Release

CARE Philippines Emergency Coordinator, Jerome Lanit hands over food items to a woman head of a household that was affected by the armed clashes in Ungkaya Pukan town in Basilan. (J. Dulla/CARE Philippines)

Five hundred eighty (580) households that were affected by the series of armed clashes in Brgy. Ulitan, Ungkaya Pukan, Basilan received essential food, non-food items, and shelter kits on February 4 and 5.

Members of these households were forced to leave their homes when combatants of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Philippine military clashed in November last year. When the conflict subsided, they returned only to find that some of their houses, including the mosque, madrasah, and an essential government building, were damaged from the fighting.

Some of the members of 120 households whose houses were damaged due to the fighting received shelter repair kits. (J. Dulla/CARE Philippines)

CARE and its partner, NISA Ul Haqq fi Bangsamoro, Inc., with the facilitation of the GPH-MILF Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) and the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG) and with the support of the BARMM Ministry of Social Services and Development were able to access the community to deliver life-saving assistance to the affected vulnerable households.

“As humanitarians, it is important that we address first the needs of the members of vulnerable communities who still feel insecure because of the uncertainty of the situation while the peace mechanisms are working for a sustained solution to the conflict,” said Jerome Lanit, CARE’s Emergency Coordinator.

Meanwhile, Shalom Tillah Allian of NISA Ul Haqq fi Bangsamoro, Inc. shared that the collaboration with the BARMM MSSD, MILF CCCH and AHJAG showed that humanitarian and peace building efforts work meaningfully when working together on an equal footing.

“More than just the goods shared to them, to us what is more powerful is to see the mujahideens and the mujahidat owning the initiative as they led the distribution. We cannot overemphasize the importance of cultivating solidarity with the peace process mechanisms afforded to us”, she added.

Photos: Members of the community helped in the repacking and distribution of the relief goods to the affected households. (J. Dulla, S. Allian)

The Basilan Emergency Response is supported by the Tijori Foundation and is being implemented by CARE Philippines and its partner, NISA Ul Haqq fi Bangsamoro, Inc., in collaboration with the BARMM Ministry of Social Services and Development, GPH-MILF Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) and the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG).

Communal gardens sprout up months after #OdettePH

  • Mary Therese Norbe
  • Featured Stories, Food & Nutrition, Latest News & Stories

Riza, 35, shows the vegetable seedlings that she and members of their group propagate in their nursery in Barangay Mahayahay, San Jose, Dinagat Island Province. Meanwhile, her 73-year-old mother, Matilde waters the plants in their communal garden where okra, string beans, peppers, squash, sweet potato, water spinach, and other vegetables are growing.

“We already harvested three times since we started the garden. It really helps especially at times when we don’t have enough money to buy food”, Riza shared.

She also said that they are growing their food using organic compost and fertilizers such as fermented fruit and plant juice which materials are sourced in their community.

Their members were trained in sustainable organic farming after Typhoon Rai (Odette) ruined their crops and stripped the garden soil barren.

Through the Immediate and Comprehensive Response for Communities Affected by Typhoon Rai (Odette), men and women members of their communities were organized and formed into mutual groups for reviving the former and engaging in alternative livelihoods.

Aside from their association’s dry goods stores, they decided to put up communal nurseries and gardens to ensure that food will always be on their table.

“After the typhoon, it was very difficult to find food. Now, when we harvest beans, we can store them both for seeds and food”, she added.

The Immediate and Comprehensive Response for Communities Affected by Typhoon Rai (Odette) is implemented jointly by CARE Philippines, ACCORD Incorporated, Action Against Hunger Philippines, National Rural Women Coalition (PKKK) and Plan International Philippines in Dinagat Islands, Palawan, Southern Leyte, Bohol, Negros Occidental, and Cebu, Philippines.

150 million more women than men were hungry in 2021 – CARE analysis finds

  • CARE Philippines
  • Blog, Featured Stories, Food & Nutrition, Latest News & Stories, Press Release, Women and Girls, Women and Girls

An analysis by humanitarian organization CARE highlights, for the first time, a global link between inequality experienced by women and girls and food insecurity. Analysing data from 2021, the report shows that across 109 countries, as inequality goes up, food security goes down.

Christine Campeau, CARE’s Global Advocacy Director – Food Systems, said, “Between 2018 and 2021, the number of hungry women versus hungry men grew 8.4 times, with a staggering 150 million more women than men hungry in 2021. And the implications of the escalation of conflict in Ukraine will make the situation even worse for women, who play a crucial role across food systems and in feeding their families and communities. Inequality based on sex is highly connected to food and nutrition security at a local, national, and global level. To put it simply, the more inequality faced by women and girls there is in a country, the hungrier and more malnourished people are.”

Of the four major global datasets, the only sex disaggregated food indicators reinforce women’s role solely for their importance in reproduction: measuring anemia in women of childbearing age and counting stunting for children. Most food security datasets remain conspicuously silent on sex-based disparities. And, despite a significant portion of food preparation and purchasing being managed by individuals responsible for household nourishment, those individuals are often the last to eat and receive the least food.

Even when both men and women are technically food insecure, women often bear bigger burdens. For example, in Somalia, while men report eating smaller meals, women report skipping meals altogether.

Aisha, who lives in a village in eastern Somalia said, “I don’t remember how old I really am, the drought has affected me mentally and physically so much that I can’t remember. Most days we don’t get anything to eat, other days we eat one meal.”

In the World Bank portal focused on food and women, the only sex disaggregated food data is related to the number of women who believe, or do not believe, that a husband is justified in beating his wife when she burns the food.

Ms Campeau underscored the need to recognize the central role of women in sustaining global food systems, stating that “as women keep feeding the world,” it is critical to ensure data systems allow for their realities to be seen and addressed. She called for improvements in data collection methods to make “the gaps they encounter visible” and stressed that “global datasets should be publishing sex disaggregated data on food.” To advance this effort, she emphasized the urgency to “update our global understanding of food security and the inequality lived by women and girls” and advocated for directing “flexible funding and support” to local organizations in crisis-affected areas to help mitigate risks of hunger-related violence and protection threats.

About CARE: Founded in 1945, CARE is a leading humanitarian organisation fighting global poverty. CARE has more than seven decades of experience helping people prepare for disasters, providing lifesaving assistance when a crisis hits, and helping communities recover after the emergency has passed. CARE places special focus on women and children, who are often disproportionately affected by disasters. To learn more, visit www.care-international.org  

For media enquiries contact:

Suzy Sainovski
Senior Humanitarian Communications Coordinator, CARE International
Email: suzy.sainovski@care.org
Skype: suzy.sainovski

Cargill PH partners with CARE Philippines to increase Covid vaccination rates in the country

  • CARE Philippines
  • Blog, Disaster Response, Featured Stories, Latest News & Stories, Press Release

Collaborating with 30 barangay local units to create vaccine awareness for ~260,000 people

Manila, Philippines (January 19, 2022)— Cargill and CARE Philippines, have collaborated with non-government organizations and business partners, to boost the vaccination rates in select areas of Bulacan Province, Batangas and South Cotabato by the end of 2021 through the COVID-19 Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) and Vaccination Roll-Out project. This vaccine advocacy project is expected to reach about 260,000 people.

More than a year after the Philippines launched its efforts for mass vaccination against COVID-19, there is still much work to be done to achieve population protection. The National Task Force against COVID-19 released statistics showcasing a slowed down rate of administering shots last October with only 375,773 compared to 523,018 of August 2021.

A possible reason could still be the existing hesitancies from Filipinos about vaccination, with only 61% of the population being willing to be vaccinated based from a survey released by the Octa Research group last October 22.

The Social Weather Stations conducted a survey to find out what the possible reasons are why Filipinos are unwilling despite being offered a free vaccination. The fear of possible side effects ranks as number one in the list followed by old age, being diagnosed with comorbidities and belief in reports of fatality.

“In Cargill, putting people first has always been a part of our values. And this value of caring for people goes beyond our employees and extends to those in the communities where  we live and work. Through the RCCE and Vaccination Roll-Out Project,  we aim to tip the scale in favor of population protection from COVID, thus allowing ourselves and our communities to bounce back from this pandemic,” said Christopher Ilagan, Cargill Philippines’ Corporate Affairs Director.

The RCCE and Vaccination Roll-Out Project, which is being implemented in Malolos City, Baliwag and Pulilan in Bulacan Province, Sto. Tomas City in Batangas, and General Santos City in South Cotabato, aims to support 30 barangay local government units (BLGUs) to increase their capacities in implementing COVID-19 policies and help encourage their residents to get vaccinated. More than 2,450 barangay officials, health workers and members of the peacekeeping team have already been trained by medical professionals to further spread information and provide communication about the risks of COVID-19 and vaccination benefits.

Support was also given to BLGUs with low vaccination rates by providing free transportation for vaccination to residents – especially women, PWDs and the elderly – from far-flung areas of the covered locations. Incentives were also given, like rice, food and hygiene kits, to encourage other community members to participate.

In alignment with the proclamation that 30 November – 01 December and 17-19 December 2021 as National Vaccination Days, the RCCE Project in  Batangas and Bulacan provided  free rides to 2,420 individuals from far flung barangays to the vaccination sites, free snacks and sanitary kits and distribution of information, education and campaign materials. The Community Health Educators (CHEs) hired and trained by the project also provided additional health manpower during the vaccination events at the selected barangays. Additionally, about 4,000 community members received rice and hygiene kits incentives from the project. Among these community members whom the project assisted to be vaccinated, more 700 of them confessed that previously, they are hesitant to take the shot but through the community education conducted by the project, they were encouraged to get vaccinated.

Romy M. Pagaduan, the chairperson of Brgy. Ligaya, General Santos City said that the project has made it easier for them to convince their residents to get vaccinated. He shared that his barangay is among those which have low vaccination rates due to people being less-informed, if not misinformed, about COVID-19 and the vaccines. “We now have the right answers to their questions especially those that were drawn from information they got from social media and rumors spread in the barangay”, he said.

The project is led by CARE Philippines and being implemented with Mindanao Coalition of Development NGO Networks (MINCODE) and Sarangani Province Empowerment for Community Transformation Forum (Spectrum) in General Santos City, Southern Tagalog People’s Resource Center (STPRC) in Batangas and CARE Philippines in Bulacan with participation from Cargill employees across all these areas. 

Women Lead in Emergencies Learning Report

  • Rya Ducusin
  • Evaluation / Research, Impact Reports, Lessons Learned, Reports & Publications, Women and Girls
Download

In its pilot run in the Philippines, Women Lead in Emergencies (WLIE) directly engaged 601 women organized into 29 women’s groups in 5 provinces, 10 municipalities, 27 barangays from April to December 2020. WLIE funded 28 women-led, women-designed, and women-implemented action plans in rural barangays, indigenous communities, and evacuation shelters so that women can influence decisions about their own lives.

Contingency Planning Checklist

  • CARE Philippines
  • Education & Work, Reports & Publications, Tools

The Contingency Planning Checklist for Typhoons during a pandemic has benefitted from the experience of different national and local government agencies, development and humanitarian organisations, and the collective insights of the participants of the RILHUB Webinar, Planning for Typhoons during a Pandemic: A Practical Guide.

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