David: When Disaster meets Poverty…

...help is needed, and appreciated. Typhoon Reming was definitely a major disaster in the Philippines, and the small towns where the average daily wage hovers around $3 and most people live in tiny huts with tin or reed roofs are definitely poor. I’ve spent the first two weeks of January at the Hands On project in the barangay (village) of San Isidro, in the municipality of Santo Domingo, a town near the city of Legazpi, a few hours from Manila.

This is a poor rural area, with surrounding rice fields and fishing as the major food sources. Their homes and livelihood were both affected by a category 5 (highest level) typhoon that struck on November 30th, and triggered massive flows of accumulated sodden ash, called lahar, off the slopes of Mt. Mayon, an active volcano that is 6 miles away from our project site. The lahar flow redirected rivers, eliminated rice fields, mowed down homes, destroyed most trees (including the materials normally used for roofs and walls). Fishing fleets were destroyed and power will be out for months.

The current Hands On volunteer contingent of nine represents four counties (Canada, England, Philippines, and USA) with two first time volunteers and seven alumni. [As of this writing, although 4 of us have left, the count is up to 19, with more expected imminently!] Our house is right in the village, and since our purchase of a generator, has power (and therefore running water) about six hours/day. Our projects have included cleaning the 3 foot depth of lahar from roads, yards, drainage ditches and local schools; clearing, cleaning, and repairing the roof on the local school, and organizing the procurement of materials to replace lost fishing boats.

Last week when we rolled out in the morning with our big orange work carts busting with shovels and tools we usually drew a contingent of twenty or so kids, teenagers and adults to help . We made quite a parade through town and everyone was delighted when school was able to restart. .. Although this typhoon destroyed/damaged almost 300,000 homes and killed 1,600 (about the same ranges as Katrina) it fell out of the news within days – yet the people still need help, and support. They are hard working, friendly and having a tough time getting back on their feet. The devastation is overwhelming. The amount of work to be done is staggering.

Donations will go directly to buy supplies, tools, and materials to allow us to expand our number of projects, for food and housing for volunteers, and to allow us to extend our stay. The rebuilding of boats for example, takes just a little amount of funding, is done mainly by the fishermen themselves with a little boost of fun and interesting work by our volunteers and helps the small fishing villages get back to their livelihood immediately. Helping the stunned people of the Philippines is definitely an incredibly worthwhile endeavor.

Please check out the site, see the photos and project updates, and if you’re able and interested in helping out, go to the donation section for information re giving on-line, or through mail or wire transfers.