Typhoon Haiyan (local name Yolanda) was one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded. When it struck the Philippines in November last year, Goducate decided to focus its help on North Panay, an area devastated by the typhoon that was closest to the Goducate Training Center in Iloilo. After distributing immediate relief supplies and providing water purification systems, Goducate decided to focus on rehabilitating schools. Those that had lost roofs were given a tarpaulin covering. For buildings that were too unstable to be re-roofed, Goducate provided “tent schools”. In addition, Goducate’s community development workers helped in remedial classes, and organized seminars and workshops for parents on backyard farming, public health and nutrition, and livelihood projects.
By May, Goducate had rehabilitated 55 schools, enabling an estimated 10,000 students to study in “normal” classes (many classrooms were used by more than one class).
It was then that Goducate decided to extend its help to Leyte, part of the area worst hit by Typhoon Haiyan, and north of Tacloban where most of the help from international agencies was concentrated. Here Goducate has decided to concentrate on community work.
After the distribution of relief goods such as medicines and school supplies, the Goducate team started to visit various communities assessing needs and addressing them. Programs introduced have included awareness of the nutritional value of moringa (which most people already have growing in their backyard), preventive health, and agricultural ones such as vermiculture, container gardening, and backyard gardening. In addition, the community health workers help in schools where needed, for example, by holding English corners. The programs have been very popular. For example, a lecture on moringa awareness is usually followed by a request to do more. And in one high school, almost 90% of the 300 students come for the English corners.
Some of our programs scheduled for July had to be postponed because of Typhoon Rammasun (local name Glenda), which wreaked quite some damage to Goducate in Laguna, and Typhoon Matmo (local name Henry), but work has resumed and is being extended in the area.
