Typhoon Haiyan survivors say Thank You

This is how people in the Philippines say ‘thank you very much’ in Tagalog – one of the country’s native languages.
 
This is what children and families would say to you right now for all the help you’ve given them. Thank you for responding so swiftly and helping CBM put food and other life-saving items into the hands of the people worst affected by Typhoon Haiyan.
 
We wanted to update you on what’s happening in the Philippines, and so we spoke to one of our colleagues, Barney McGlade, who is on the ground in Manila. Barney runs a Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) project in Manila, which he started 25 years ago. He has helped over 35,000 children and families with disabilities
 
Over the years, Barney has seen some severe storms. Local people get used to them. But when Typhoon Haiyan hit, he had no idea the devastation it would cause …
 
“We knew it was going to be huge, but nobody was anticipating what would happen. The storm cut a line right across the country. I couldn’t reach anyone in Leyte because all power was out. It was a couple of days before we found out that everything had been flattened.

The debris was terrible. There is still a smell of death in some Leyte communities, because the bodies cannot be retrieved yet.”

But thanks to wonderful people like you, we distributed in December, two rounds of survival bags containing food, and items like blankets, soap and mosquito nets to survivors. For those who became homeless, we also provided tarps for people to use as shelter.
 
In total, 23,300 people in Conception and Estancia, two of the worst hit areas, received food and other emergency items – all thanks to you.
 
And now, with your help, CBM is hard at work on the next phase of recovery – helping people rebuild their homes and communities. We’re also advocating alongside other organizations to ensure that people with disabilities get the care and services they need. As Barney explains, the people of the Philippines have a huge job ahead of them…
 
“Try and picture an area the size of Cork flattened. That’s what we’re trying to rebuild from scratch. We want to make sure that people with disabilities are included. We’re advocating on their behalf and training the people doing the reconstruction. We’re looking at how to include people with disabilities, right across the board from preparedness to recovery.
 
We also anticipate that over the next five months there will be a lot more disabilities presenting. People with hypertension who are at risk of stroke because of posttraumatic stress. People with diabetes who will have to have amputations because they’re not getting the proper diet …”

Despite the huge task that lies ahead, Barney is optimistic that people in the Philippines will rebuild and become a stronger country. And he told us how overwhelmed he was at the outpouring of support the people in the Philippines have received…
 
“The response from people in Ireland has been amazing. Thank you very, very much to everyone there. It does mean a lot to people to know that there are people out there who care. People don’t feel alone. They know help will reach them.”
 
Thank you so much – you’re helping people in the Philippines put the pieces of their lives back together. “Maraming salamat.”