AHP partners provide urgent relief for Filipino families after Cyclone Rai

Above: Remedios unpacks household supplies provided through the AHP Cyclone Rai response. Photo: Gabriella Carino/Save the Children Philippines

Remedios (36) and her ten children were among the thousands of people who endured the brunt of Category 5 Typhoon Rai (also known locally as Typhoon Odette), which struck the Philippines in December 2021.

Their house was damaged by the violent winds and devastatingly strong waves that impacted their island community in the north of the island province of Bohol.

Although Remedios’ family was safe from the wrath of the typhoon, their home and belongings were severely damaged. Remedios is worried about how her family will recover - especially given the recent difficulties they’ve faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I have 10 children. The eldest are twins, 16 years old. The youngest is just 4 months old. And having a huge family in difficult times likes this makes me worry all the time. I love my children, and I would do anything for them. But with the lack of resources, how can we survive?” Remedios said.

“When the typhoon hit, we evacuated to another community which [was] less likely to be affected,” she said.

“The next morning when we came back home, our house was flattened. Everything was gone, except our small kitchen area. That [kitchen] is where we sleep now. If it is not comfortable, some [of the children] sleep in their grandmother’s house next door.”

Above: Remedios and her children in what remains of their family home after Cyclone Rai. Photo: Gabriella Carino/Save the Children Philippines

The Typhoon comes on top of the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, which had impacted her husband’s earnings as a fisherman and her children’s performance at school.

“It is really hard. I’m worried about my children’s education,” Remedios said.

“All of [my children] are enrolled in school. During the pandemic, they had a hard time because we could not afford a cellphone which they can use for online class. When classes were still face-to-face, they got high grades but now their grades are lower because they do not have a cellphone to use for research.”

Remedios said health concerns were one of her biggest worries. She said the family can endure not having a house for a time, but her kids getting sick really worried her.

“My kids also got coughs and colds after the typhoon and we don’t have medicine on hand,” she said.

Through the Australian Humanitarian Partnership’s Cyclone Rai response, Remedios received a hygiene kit containing a month’s supply of basic hygiene essentials such as soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, bath towels, laundry detergent, and sanitary pads. These supplies are designed to help families like Remedios’ get by and ensure they do not get sick from poor hygiene. This is especially important after the typhoon and during the pandemic, when proper hand hygiene is essential. The family also received a water container and purification products to help secure access to clean drinking water.

Remedios’ family was also grateful to receive a household kit containing basic items like a sleeping mat, blanket, mosquito net, and kitchen and eating utensils. These items were given to the family to help replace their belongings washed away by the waves.

They also received a solar panel to help them light up their house at night and charge devices such as mobile phones, as well as shelter repair materials to help them quickly make their house more habitable after the disaster. 

Remedios said the relief items were helpful to address the family’s priority needs and lessen their immediate expenses. Humanitarian aid after Typhoon Rai has been essential in mitigating negative coping mechanisms families typically are forced to adopt post-disaster.

This assistance was distributed by Save the Children and its consortium partners, CARE and Plan International, in the provinces of Bohol, Cebu, and Negros Occidental, with support of the Australian Government through the Australian Humanitarian Partnership.

In addition to these relief activities, Save the Children and the consortium are providing support for the most vulnerable families impacted by the Typhoon to restart their economic and agricultural livelihoods, supporting their long-term recovery. The consortium is also strengthening community-based protection measures in target communities.

Story: Gabriella Carino, Save the Children Philippines