Three months after Typhoon Haiyan devastated central Philippines, international humanitarian organisation CARE Australia is increasingly concerned that many survivors remain unable to earn an income to support their families.
The super typhoon, which hit the island nation on 8 November last year, affected more than 16 million people, leaving over four million living in makeshift or temporary shelters, more than 6,000 people dead and many more still missing.
Haiyan also affected an estimated 5.9 million workers, and in a region reliant on agriculture and fishing, caused $723 million in damages to crops, livestock, fisheries and agricultural infrastructure. An estimated 33 million coconut trees were also either damaged or destroyed, affecting more than one million farmers.
CARE’s Typhoon Haiyan recovery work is now focussing on helping the families restore their livelihoods, such as vegetable farming, rice production, fishing and other income‐ generating activities.
This work will support some of the most vulnerable families, including female‐led households. ‘Leyte, Samar and Panay, the islands in central Philippines where CARE’s efforts are targetted, have long been considered some of the poorest parts of the country. Typhoon Haiyan made this situation much worse,’ says Lex Kassenberg, CARE‘s Country Director for the Philippines.
‘Imagine losing not only your home, but your only source of income at the same time. That’s the reality of what many thousands of typhoon-affected families are living with right now, making recovery incredibly difficult.’
CARE will be providing vulnerable families with training, support and cash assistance to help them restart previous employment or diversify into new activities to earn an income. ‘The goal of CARE’s livelihood assistance in central Philippines is to help typhoon survivors meet their basic needs, and begin to earn additional income for the future,’ said Mr Kassenberg. ‘Helping them earn a living is critical to ensuring they can feed their families, rebuild their homes and get back on their feet.’ CARE’s work to restore livelihoods is in conjunction with emergency relief efforts which have been underway since Typhoon Haiyan struck three months ago. CARE’s response has so far reached over 200,000 people, with food to more than 185,000 people, emergency shelter material (tools, tarpaulins, kitchen sets and other items) to over 36,000 people, and high‐quality shelter repair kits including corrugated metal sheeting, tools and other necessary material plus an additional cash supplement to over 3,800 people.
Australians wishing to support families affected by Typhoon Haiyan can donate at www.care.org.au/haiyan.
A donation of $130 can provide 10 food baskets for families and $390 can provide materials for two high‐quality shelter repair kits (including corrugated sheeting, specialised nails and other useful items) along with a cash supplement to help families rebuild their home.
CARE Australia is an international humanitarian aid organisation fighting poverty, with a special focus on working with women and girls to bring lasting change to their communities. CARE has worked in the Philippines since 1949, providing emergency relief and helping communities prepare for future disasters. Visit www.care.org.au.