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Emergency Shelter Appeal
Together We Can Help Families Like Maria and Nikki’s.
Your Donation Will Help Women and Families Devastated by Recent Typhoons in the Bicol Region, Philippines.
Our Target of $47,000* Will Place Tools in the Hands of Families to Rebuild Their Homes and Their Lives.
The Bicol Region of the Philippines was recently hit hard by two devastating storms. Severe tropical storm Trami (‘Kristine’) displaced a million people in late November. Then only three weeks later, super typhoon Man-Yi (‘Pepito’) caused catastrophic damage including landslides, severe flooding and storm surges.
According to the UN, 2.7 million people were affected in the Bicol region, 255,466 homes were damaged and over 200,000 people remain displaced.
Your generosity can help meet the immediate shelter needs of families living in the most vulnerable conditions. In Maria’s community, we are providing short-term shelter repair kits to ensure the immediate safety of affected families.
Maria’s Story
Along with other members of her neighbourhood, Maria’s home was destroyed by the typhoon. She was devastated when she saw nothing of her home remained. Most of her family’s possessions were taken by the storm, including her daughter’s schoolbooks.
Determined to rebuild her life, she started to collect any of her belongings she could find scattered in the area. She thought about collecting the scattered wood and other building remnants to try to rebuild her home. As a single mother with three children, Maria had to find a way to protect her children.
When asked how she thought she could rebuild her home she was at a loss. She earns money through fishing. But only enough to support the family’s daily expenses.
People like Maria are very vulnerable to natural disaster. Money earned today is usually only enough to put food on the table tonight. It is difficult to plan for tomorrow when you are just trying to survive today. The stress and emotional toll on these families is enormous.
Your gift to Mercy Works Overseas Aid Fund will help deliver much-needed support to communities in the Bicol Region to rebuild their homes. With your support, families will be supplied with shelter kits containing galvanized iron roofing materials, plywood, timber, nails and other building supplies.
Nikki’s’s Story
Nikki is a young, stay-at-home mother with an eight-month-old baby. Her husband Carlo works hard, taking on any job to provide for the family’s needs.
When Nikki heard about the approaching typhoon, she evacuated with her baby to their neighbour’s house. Carlo stayed behind to secure their home by reinforcing the roof with bamboo and rope. As the typhoon approached and the wind pressure increased Carlo quickly dashed to their friend’s home to take shelter with Nikki and their baby.
Nikki vividly remembers how frightened she was during the strong typhoon. Even though their neighbour’s house was made of concrete, she felt their lives were in danger.
The next day, when they returned home, Nikki was devastated to find their house was gone. Like Maria and their neighbours, Nikki and Carlo hunted for their valuables amongst the wreckage. Items such as kitchen utensils, cooking ware, and clothes. But most of their belongings, with their home, were blown away or damaged beyond use.
Despite all the devastation and loss caused by the typhoon, Nikki still expresses her gratitude. She knows that if Carlo had stayed with their home the typhoon would have taken Carlo as well.
Nikki, Carlo and their baby are now living with Nikki’s mother in her small home. Like other families affected by the typhoon, Nikki remains hopeful that she and Carlo can gather enough resources to rebuild their home. For Nikki, having her own home to live in with her family will make her more confident in taking care of her family today and building for their future.
Please Help Families Rebuild Their Lives
A gift today will help place in the hands of affected families, like Maria and Nikki, the tools to rebuild their home, their personal dignity and self-reliance.
Our Partnership
This emergency relief project is run in partnership with the St. Mary Euphrasia Integrated Development Foundation, Inc., Manila, Philippines. Our aim is to help assist the women and families affected by the recent series of typhoons living in the Bicol Region and Batangas.
The two organisations have a preexisting partnership working together for the project, Healing and Empowerment of Women and Children. Funds raised from the emergency relief appeal will assist those impacted by the typhoons and create conditions suitable for the recommencement of the Healing and Empowerment project.
The goals for our emergency relief project are:
- to ensure the safety of affected women and families through short-term shelter repairs.
- to provide affected women and families with access to immediate and basic needs such as food, water, medicine, hygiene supplies, and other non-food essentials are provided to the affected families.
The emergency relief project aims to address the needs of affected families by providing the following:
- Relief packs. With the loss/disruption of livelihood, affected families need daily food rations as well as non-food items such as hygiene kits and medical supplies.
- Shelter Repair Kits. Due to the damage to their houses, some families remain in evacuation centres or are staying with other relatives.
- Non-food essentials. Families whose shelters were damaged are also in need of essential items such as cooking and eating utensils, sleeping mats, blankets, and pillows.
Charity donations of $2 or more to Mercy Works maybe tax deductible in Australia.
*Mercy Works has funded the first $19,000 of the fundraising appeal goal of $47,000. This emergency relief project is to aid recovery in the pre-existing Healing and Empowerment of Women and Children (HEWC) project locations in order to assist those impacted by the typhoons and create conditions suitable for the recommencement of the HEWC project.
Any funds raised in excess of the goal of $47,000 will then go towards funding the HEWC project. This project helps support women and families located in the Bicol Region and Batangas. It’s goal is to contribute to the empowerment of women, girls and children by addressing barriers to development including gender-based violence, limited education and livelihood opportunities, while focusing on strengthening community support to protect and uphold women and children’s rights.
Thank you for your consideration in helping to support vulnerable people.
