Caring for Leyte's Children
It’s amazing what 3 years of building resilience has done to help children recover from the scars of typhoon Haiyan.
On 8 November 2013, typhoon Haiyan devastated some of the poorest areas in the Philippines. 14.1 million people were affected and 1.1 million homes were damaged or destroyed.
Three years after typhoon Haiyan, children are now enjoying the fruits of World Vision’s rehabilitation work. Thanks to your help, we have been able to reach nearly 1.6 million people, assisting disaster-affected families across seven provinces during the emergency, recovery and rehabilitation phases.
Kaloy (seven), Princess (nine), Curt (five), Pearly (seven) and Justin (six)
*Kaloy, Princess, Curt, Pearly and Justin are enjoying playtime inside their new home. Their laughter is infectious and vibrates around the four corners of the room. Rebuilding a house means a lot to children – they can play indoors, eat full meals, sleep soundly and stay protected from extreme weather.
Justin, Pearly and Princess
Community drills keep them safe and protected from disasters. Upon hearing “Duko, tabon, ukoy – (drop, cover and hold)” the children immediately scamper under the table and long chair, covering their heads.
We should wait under, until it's safe to go out with Mama.
- Curt, waiting for the signal to evacuate.
Joylyn (four) and Marina (four)
Joylyn and Marina are excited to receive their family's quick run bags (QRBs). Aside from the first aid and hygiene kits, raincoat, flashlight, slippers, umbrella, whistle and ID card with sling and holder; the QRBs also have crayons and coloring books, much to their delight.
Michaela (five) and Dan Mar (five)
Michaela and Dan Mar are busy doodling in their workbooks in their recently repaired classroom. Thousands of children like Michaela and Dan Mar now enjoy refurbished school facilities.
Michaela (five) and Dan Mar (five)
The rear of Michaela and Dan Mar's classroom serves as a dining area for school children who need a nutrition-boost. Today’s meal has fresh vegetables from the school’s kitchen garden served with piping hot rice and chicken.
Aleah (five) with her father
Aleah is fond of watching her father work on the farm. She likes seeing the fruits and vegetables and loves to play in the plants. Their house is surrounded by rows of string beans, eggplants, sweet pepper and corn.
Aleah's father, Jun, shows her their watermelons now ready for harvest. He wants his farm to prosper to be able to send Aleah to school.
Lloyd and Precious enjoy water from the newly repaired hand pump.
It is easier for us now to fetch water for hand washing.
- Lloyd, 6
Their school is located in an area of Tacloban, where there is no water source and people depend on rainwater.
Altogether, World Vision has reached more than 1.6 million people since typhoon Haiyan. Three years on, we continue to work side-by-side communities as they move forward from tragedy to redemption; working to replace what was lost with hope, vigor and resilience. World Vision is one of the few remaining NGOs, continuously working with survivors in their recovery after typhoon Haiyan. You can find more information about our emergency work.
*Names have been changed to protect identities.