Philippines - typhoon Haiyan and CBM's response

CBM is now working on the next phase of recovery, ensuring that reconstruction efforts will be inclusive. It is now crucial to 'build back better', ensuring accessibility is considered and that people with disabilities will be active players in making their community more resilient. The recovery will include addressing community health and shelter needs, and promoting disability inclusive reconstruction.
 
The initial results of a post distribution monitoring survey suggest that the biggest focus now of families who received food and survival supplies is for them to repair their houses and regain livelihood.
 
The local government, including Mayor Noel L. Villanueva, has been highly appreciative of CBM and its partner ADPI’s efforts to provide relief in a timely and effective manner.
 
CBM is working closely with partner ADPI (Association of Disabled Persons Iloilo) to work with government, other organisations and communities to set up ‘Age and Disability Focal Points’ to link people with disabilities and older people with mainstream opportunities providing food, shelter and livelihood opportunities, and also with specialist opportunities, such as creating access to assistive devices such as wheelchairs, crutches, walkers, prostheses, spectacles and to eye, ear, orthopaedic and mental health interventions.

CBM’s partner ADPI has begun producing and delivering school furniture for schools on Panay Island, to replace those lost and damaged in the typhoon.

During Typhoon Haiyan, the resource ('SPED') Center at Carles Central Elementary School, Iloilo, was totally demolished. All the equipment and materials were lost.

CBM works with partner RBI (Resources for the Blind), who run these SPED centres, ensuring that children with visual impairments (and they may also have hearing, learning or mobility difficulties as well) have the chance to access education.

By April 2014, with CBM support, the centre at Carles School has already been rebuilt and is ready to be furnished.

It should be ready for use – furnished and equipped with assistive devices – by the beginning of the next school year in June 2014. The new centre is more spacious, with bigger restroom, wash area, and in general, a stronger construction.

Gordon Rattray, CBM’s Communications Coordinator, spoke to the families of the pupils on a visit in April 2014.

“The children (and their families) are excited about it. Most have a difficult journey just to get to school. They walk (or are carried) across rice fields, then, once they reach the road, travel on small motorbikes. One mother told us she talks constantly to her son, fearing he will fall asleep and forget to hold on.

CBM and RBI are rebuilding 11 more resource centres like this one. They provide the opportunity for individual specialised education, and facilitate mainstreaming into regular classes. All this is essential education towards independence, but in fact, it’s even more than that. The families we met told us that these class groups form close bonds, the children become great friends. This is something that is so difficult for them to do otherwise."