Ten days after the onslaught of Typhoon Haiyan in the Visayan islands, World Vision has served over 10,000 survivors in the typhoon-stricken areas of Northern Cebu. About 2000 families have been provided food, clean water, and hygiene kits in the towns of Tagobon and Daan Bantayan, one of the landfall sites where all homes were totally destroyed.
World Vision targets to provide relief assistance to 80,000 families (400,000 individuals) in the hardest-hit areas of Leyte, Samar, Panay Islands, and northern Cebu as it also looks into providing shelter assistance and child-focused interventions to help children cope from the disaster.
Despite the challenges of access due to damaged roads and massive fallen debris caused by Haiyan, World Vision response teams are relentless to bring aid the soonest time possible to the affected areas of Panay Islands and Leyte where over 3000 people were reported killed by the storm surge caused by Haiyan’s fury. Food and non-food packs for 2,800 families in four coastal villages in Estancia, Iloilo will soon be distributed while about 1,300 families will be assisted in the devastated town of Ormoc, Leyte this week.
World Vision food kits contain 15kg of rice, 1kg of mongo beans, 10 cans of sardines, 1kg of sugar, 2.5kgs of biscuits, 1 litre of cooking oil and 6 litres of water. Hygiene kits include bath and laundry soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, nail clipper, sanitary pads, body wraps. Each relief pack is intended to serve a family of five for a whole week.
World Vision prioritizes children and women’s welfare
As a child-focused organization, World Vision is primarily concerned with the safety and well-being of children survivors, as well as infants and their mothers, even during disasters.
“There are emerging reports that many children have been separated from their families, so aside from providing basic life-saving assistance, it is critical to ensure children are accounted for, and protected,” saays World Vision National Director Josaias Dela Cruz.
In line with this, World Vision initially launches Child Friendly Spaces (CFS) in Northern Cebu and Iloilo for at least 1,000 children. CFS is intended to address the needs of children survivors by providing them a safe place to learn and play to help them cope with distress.
World Vision is also putting up mother-and-baby-friendly tents, dubbed Women and Young Child Spaces (WAYCS).
“WAYCS addresses one of the most vulnerable groups in disaster situations like lactating women who nurse babies,” says Rev. Dr. Neki Soriano, World Vision Health and Nutrition Officer.
“The normal and ideal feeding practice of breastfeeding for infants and young children is disrupted during disasters. “Even when evacuation centers are set up, the mother and her child would still be unsettled, so they need external support to continue breastfeeding,” he added.
World Vision targets to set up its first WAYCS tent in Tabogon town, Cebu on November 20. The space hopes to accommodate 20 mothers and their children at a time. It will also provide interactive psychosocial sessions, practical discussions on breastfeeding during emergencies, and re-lactation peer support. Breastfeeding kits for mothers and their children will also be provided in the tent. World Vision earmarked support for 3,000 mothers and their babies, who were affected by Typhoon Yolanda through the WAYCS.
To know more about World Vision’s current relief operations and how you can help, visit www.worldvision.org.ph.
World Vision Development Foundation, Inc. also accepts donations to the following bank accounts:
BPI Account:
4251-0024-15
swift code: BOPIPHMM
BDO Account:
000-2700-4341-1
swift code: BOPBPHMM
Metrobank Account:
060-7060-5186-41
swift code: MTBCPHMM
PSBank Account:
038-33200013-8
swift code: PHSBPHMM
Fax the deposit form to (02) 374-7660 or email to [email protected]