Philippine Flood Relief Fund

For several years, regions across the Philippines have been susceptible to extreme and long-term rainfall. The country has experienced incessant typhoons that have led to severe flooding across the country. Each year, residents are forced to brace for damaging monsoons that alter their livelihood for years to come. The impact of flooding has ruined crop production, destroyed homes, and displaced over a million people.

Since the launch of the GlobalGiving Philippines Relief fund in 2011, locally driven organizations have worked diligently to alleviate the damage of massive flooding caused by seasonal storms. Today, our GlobalGiving partners, De La Salle University and International Disaster Volunteers continue to support local communities by providing disaster relief equipment, restoring and improving infrastructure, and facilitating emergency response and preparation training.

De La Salle University has maintained ongoing partnerships with various institutions that are collectively striving to rebuild areas in the Philippines. Their project, Philippines Recovery Efforts Led by Local Experts, is making massive strides in recruiting volunteers through the ASEAN Youth Volunteer Programme (AYVP) and teaching participants the importance of emergency preparedness skills. To further these advancements, De La Salle University’s Center  for  Social Concern and Action (COSCA) partnered with seven barangays (a native Filipino term for a village or neighborhood), stakeholders, government agencies, and private institutions in Leveriza, District V, Manila to participate in the rehabilitation of nearby esteros, commonly known as waterways. With the restoration of esteros, they will provide flood protection, continuous water flow, and reduce the number of water pollutants.

In spite of the setbacks mentioned in our last report, International Disaster Volunteers (IDV), remains dedicated to their work on the Banaba Livelihood and Evacuation Center. In the last few months, IDV has been able to hire a local tradesman and purchase sand and cement, to continue building two sides of the evacuation center that were left unfinished and vulnerable to torrential rainstorms. In addition, they were able to install a new, high-quality pump to provide water for the center. IDV doesn’t plan on stopping once the building is complete. The project funds from Help Filipino Communities Prepare for Disaster will also assist in buying beds and other resources for evacuees.

Your donations are making a huge impact on the work IDV and DLSU is doing in the Philippines. We are boundlessly thankful for your support and urge you to continue supporting the GlobalGiving Philippines Relief fund as these organizations strive to provide long-term solutions to Filipino communities.

It’s been 8 months since the devastating floods that hit the Philippines in October 2015, and the community’s efforts to rebuild and move forward continue on. Typhoon Koppu, known locally as Typhoon Lando, left millions without electricity and forced nearly half a million people out of their homes. 1.08 meters of water drenched the region in only twenty four hours. But, the Filipino people are no strangers to floods.

The 2015 floods were not an isolated event, but rather an ongoing disaster the region constantly faces. Two of GlobalGiving’s partners, De La Salle University and International Disaster Volunteers(IDV), remain committed to providing relief and support for the local communities affected by flooding.

Since our last report, De La Salle University has joined with other local universities and schools from the ASEAN region to educate themselves on how to prevent future disasters. DLSU, with their partners, leads discussions on Disaster Risk Reduction and Management education and activities. These discussions focus on local and remote examples to help participants fully understand their project. Their project, Philippines Recovery Efforts Led by Local Experts, is almost to their funding goal, having already reached the 80% mark for their goal.

International Disaster Volunteers has also made a lot of progress in their efforts in the last few months. Their project, Help Filipino Communities Prepare for Disaster, had a setback in February when their funds ran out to complete the Banaba Livelihood and Evacuation Center outside Manila. But in April, IDV was fortunate to receive enough donations to complete the construction! As they report, “the evacuation center is now fully watertight at last! This is an amazing milestone for everyone involved, and one that we’re particularly delighted with.”

Even though IDV’s Evacuation Center may be watertight, and De La Salle University is making strides in preparing for future disasters, there is still work to be done. Typhoon Koppu is just one event in the ongoing problem in the Philippines. They can’t minimize the damage to the community or increase the responsiveness of their emergency services without your help! To give again to organizations like these, please check out GlobalGiving’s Philippine Flood Relief Fund.