We will provide immediate assistance to young farmers affected by Super Typhoon Rai (Odette) by the provision of mats, blankets, mosquito nets and solar lamps and then in the next few weeks by the provision of farming inputs like seeds, farm tools and fertilizer. We will focus our assistance in areas hardest hit in the province of Misamis Oriental where we have our office, logistics and volunteers.
While Super Typhoon Odette devastated large areas in Visayas and Mindanao, our fear is that areas that are not well-known and not in the news are left-out in the relief and recovery effort. We have the advantage of being near the areas of devastation in the province of Misamis Oriental and so we are mounting a relief and recovery effort using our local knowledge and expertise.
In the short run, we are providing basic necessities like solar lamps, mosquito nets, mats and blankets. These are badly needed in the villages and providing them will be a lot of help. Back to back with the provision will be the revival of farming for food security and there is a need to provide seeds, fertilizer and small farming tools. Periodically we will assess additional needs and provide them as we progress with project implementation.
The well-being of the youth is often overlooked every time there is a major disaster and the need to provide for them is essential. The tendency of the youth from farming villages is that they migrate to the towns and cities and this is very problematic as their skills do not match with the requirements in urban areas. We will showcase this initiative as one of the models for youth empowerment and resiliency amidst disaster situation.
