INDONESIA: Project Sungai Geringging!

On Sunday, October 25, 2009, we opened our doors to volunteers to join us as we live and work with the people of Sungai Geringging to recover and rebuild from the recent earthquakes.

We are assisting survivors of the 7.9 earthquake which rocked Western Sumatra on 30 September, 2009, and was followed by a separate 7.0 earthquake the following day. The earthquake damaged over 200,000 homes and survivors now struggle to remove rubble and erect shelter as the rainy season quickly approaches. We anticipate working for four months, with the possibility of month-to-month extensions as needed. (If you watched this video of the assessment, you can catch a glimpse of our new base in Padang Pariaman, Sumatra, Indonesia!)

The HODR assessment team has been on the ground since 11 October, 2009, identifying key areas where volunteers can support the community's mid-term recovery. For specific details of the project and how to get involved take a look at the Volunteer Info section of this site. Please contact Tom at info@hodr.org if you are interested in joining us for Project Sungai Geringging (please put project name as the subject)!

HODR previously worked in Jogjakarta, Indonesia following a 6.3 earthquake in 2006.

Thank you for your support. Donations to our South Pacific Disaster Recovery Fund will go towards Project Sungai Geringging. You can continue to follow our progress via Twitter (@HODRops).

We hope to see you soon!

PHILIPPINES: 120 Days in Santo Domingo

The volunteers have all left Santo Domingo (actually, we all left on the same plane bound for Manila!). We had our despededa, gave away our accumulated assets, cleaned the house, and said our goodbyes. The volunteers have left for Indonesia, Ireland, Borneo, Cameroon, Malaysia, Thailand, the USA - places exotic and home. Bound together by a commitment to help those in need, wherever Hands On will be next.

Thank you to those who followed our activities, made comment and suggestions, and made donations. Thanks especially to the volunteers of Project Santo Domingo for all of the hard work, long hours, passion, patience, understanding, and fun. It is you, the volunteer, that gives a part of your life to a common cause and makes this organization what it is and what it will be.
Thank you all, and until we meet again……….

Give it away. Give it away, give it away now
The end of a deployment comes with a giveaway. Barbara and Andrea spent hours organizing a raffle to distribute the assets accumulated during our time here. The beneficiaries were the most needy 50 families in our barangay. The most coveted prizes? Of course, the 4 bunk beds!

Gotta keep ‘em generated
In a unique 3 way agreement, our 2 generators will power the evacuation centers used during typhoons or Mt. Mayon eruptions. Working with Noel Estillomo and the local government unit (LGU), our valuable equipment will now provide light and power for those forced to evacuate to either San Andres or Bikal shelters. Operating and maintenance costs will be covered by the LGU, while the stewardship, repairs, and non-emergency use time will be overseen by Noel. Santo Domingo is now better prepared to respond to future evacuations.

More on relationships
In a match truly made in heaven we completed the reconstruction of our 5th elementary school working in partnership with the Scandinavian Childrens Mission (SCM). Wow, did we get this school reconstruction down or what? We refined the process to the point of being able to rebuild and paint a school in a matter of DAYS! Thanks not only to SCM but to project leaders Sarah, Rachel, Alan, Mark, Ken, and of course our talented local leader Jun (Longhair) Belmonte. Their help and that of the teachers, community men, women, and children, and of course the rest of the HODR volunteers made this effort an amazing success.

Room with a view (a much better one!)
It was the view that I looked at every day for almost 5 months; the missing GI, mangled trusses, and rain-covered floor of the San Isidro barangay hall haunted my vision of our rebuilding efforts. Volunteer “Solo” stepped up to lead the repair of the building that houses the womens’ health office, community center, and meeting space. What a joy to look down our street toward the seascape and see this beautifully restored building!

and the winner is………. Sweepstakes Elementary!
It was a long process, worked on by many volunteers, and adopted by Ken as his quest, but work was finally completed in the last week of our deployment. Our home elementary school was rebuilt to better than pre-typhoon condition with the painting of the basketball court and the refurbishment of the former library. This was the very first school we worked on way back in January when we shoveled and buggyed away an ankle deep layer of lahar and debris We left as a basketball tournament was being played over the freshly painted Hands On logo at center court. A special thank you to the anonymous donors (from those in our midst at the volunteer house) who helped fund this project!

Citio Baleti Day Care
In barangay Alimsog, we rebuilt their daycare from the ground up back in February. It was a beautiful structure that needed paint…no more! Suzi returned to her adopted home with Norman to apply the finishing touches to this project. Now it is a solidly built structure of cement, wood, and GI lovingly painted in beautiful colors. Bursting with Hands On pride, we gave this to citio Baleti.

Graduation and Turn over
The end of April is when local schoolchildren graduate to their next level of education; any chance for a ceremony and/or celebration here is not missed! We worked on so many of the schools that we were natural guests of honor at these events. We had ribbon-cutting events (turning over ceremony) held in conjunction with SCM, graduations, recognition ceremonies, and dancing (a lot of dancing!). Speeches were recited, plaques were awarded, performances were witnessed. Who knew that being a volunteer came with such an engaging social calendar? It was a great time to be a volunteer and see the appreciation from the communities we served.

Despededa
In a country that exports a great deal of its labor force, they have a special word for “going away celebrations.” Our home barangay gave us a despededa party the weekend before our departure. We had heard rumors of the scheduled event but in true Filipino fashion we were not told until the day before. Actually, I had to bluntly ask Marissa (the lovely woman who helped us at the house) if there was a party scheduled in our honor. She agreed yes, but I had to promise not to tell anyone that she told! With time short, Jihan and Andrea prepared a choreographed dance number for us to learn and perform during our intermission surprise. Highlights were the Hands On Dancers and James (who actually has a load of talent) performing on acoustic guitar. Good fun, every bit of it!

Soaring spirit of volunteerism
Sadly, I must acknowledge the tragic death of Julia Campbell, who was a Peace Corps volunteer and a Hands On (Project Santo Domingo) volunteer. In a random act of violence, we were robbed of a beautiful soul who helped so many and smiled so bright. Her spirit and commitment will be missed.

In our four months in the Philippines, we shoveled lahar, tarped roofs, rebuilt schools, built boats, planted coconut trees, shared laughs, made lifelong friends, and ate a lot of pork! We may no longer rise to the pre-dawn crowing of a rooster, thumping of a karaoke machine, or roar of a trike, but the memories and the work that we did in Santo Domingo will live on. Thanks to the people of Santo Domingo for welcoming us into their home, and thanks again to the volunteers for their hard work and their heart. We’ll see you at the next one…

Marc Young
Operations Director
Hands On Disaster Response
Project Santo Domingo

PHILIPPINES: 90 Day Report

*********************PROJECT END DATE**********************
At the time of this writing it appears as though we will wrap Project Santo Domingo the last full week of April. We have agreed to help the Scandinavian Childrens Mission (SCM) with rebuilding schools in Santo Domingo. SCM is in the process of evaluating whether they can target 4 or 5 schools for rehabilitation. Our exit will hinge on their decision on the number of schools to be rebuilt.
************************************************************

Santa Misericordia Elementary School
Our very first project in conjunction with Scandinavian Children’s Mission (SCM) has been completed! It was so much fun to take a devastated school and make it almost new for the children and families of barangay Santa Misericordia. Our volunteer work included roofing, interior walls and ceilings, electrical, windows, doors, and painting (expanding the skill sets!). In total, 7 rooms were rehabilitated. Each day 6-12 volunteers worked on site, enjoying the students’ company and eating wonderful food prepared by the teachers and community members. The learning that took place (by our volunteers!) will enable us to be better suited for the continuation of our relationship with SCM

Lidong Elementary School
Our second project with Scandinavian Children’s Mission has started as well! This school had not been touched since Super Typhoon Reming struck Novemeber 30 and it was disconcerting to walk amongst the lahar and learning materials scattered on the classroom floor. Undaunted, we spent two days shoveling the inside and cleaning up the outside of the elementary school with the help of many local residents. Currently the roof has already been replaced and the interior walls are going up! It won’t be long before we turn over another school!

Tarping
Holy carabao! Our latest tally shows that we have provided dry space for almost 150 families!! Thanks to all of the volunteers, I am happy to announce that we have completed all of the work orders for tarping in barangay San Isidro. Nice work, team.

Alimsog (Aaaaahlimsog)
It is with a heavy heart that I announce the end of the Alimsog safari. What started as 3 day rotations by the volunteers into an isolated barangay to build fishing bancas and rehabilitate a school turned into a love fest. The volunteers loved the remoteness and warmth of the community, and of course the interaction with the children. The community, in turn, loved the hardworking fun-loving volunteers who dedicated themselves to helping. The memory of our volunteer presence and their efforts will far outlast the tangible aspects of the projects and I know all of us will have a special place in their heart for Alimsog (sigh).

Baleti Daycare Center
If you look back to some of the first photos posted, you will find one of a collapsed daycare. It was made of native sawaali siding between posts supporting an anahau roof. Well, we rebuilt that building, better! Now a block building with a GI roof covers a cement floor for the preschoolers of Baleti. Our builder Jun, working with our volunteers and members of the community took great pride in the construction process to complete the sturdy new building. What a beautiful change for the better.

Sitio Kawayan: 1000 Coconut Seedlings and 1 Chapel
The most recent safari was not to Alimsog, but to Kawayan where the coconut trees were devastated. This is a very small farming sitio in barangay Calayucay, accessible by an arduous drive, risky motorbike ride, or exhausting hike. Lucky for us we had the help of local volunteers Noel and Chat Estillomo (owners of Costa Palmera Resort) to guide us throughout the project. The volunteers camped at the Estillomo farm while working to distribute and plant coconut seedlings to the surrounding neighbors. Imagine slogging through muddy rice paddies, as well as up and down hills carrying 10+ coconut seedlings strapped to a pole! We also helped the residents rebuild their chapel/community center which was destroyed in Typhoon Milenyo, prior to Reming. The residents were at a loss for words to express their gratitude to our group of volunteers that had come so far to find and help them.

Sweepstakes
Our home barangay elementary school, Sweepstakes, is almost completely renovated. A loyal group of volunteers have worked diligently to make the school better than its pre-typhoon state. From additional GI roofing, ceilings, windows, and electrical work to painting the buildings’ exteriors, the work rolls on. Our final project is the renovation of the former library/physical education space which was in a state of disrepair even prior to the typhoon. When we finish all of the rooms will, again, be usable by the San Isidro students.

Village Photo Project and Kid Snaps
With as handsome a crowd as we have here, we can’t help but keep taking pictures, printing, and distributing them! The most recent batch went to the residents of Alimsog, keepsakes for families without photo histories. In an interesting twist on the photo project we are now giving one-time-use cameras to some of the children and letting them take the pictures! We develop the film and eagerly wait to see what they have given us, then the volunteers gather around the photos, much the same way the residents and children do! We certainly have found some interesting perspectives and have posted some of the kids’ photos on our flickr site.

Thanksgiving
No, not the American holiday, but what the residents of the affected communities call their celebrations in our honor. The volunteers attended a thanksgiving in Alimsog that included singing, dancing, speeches, and yummy food. Then the teachers of the Santa Misericordia school took all of us to a water park (something like you can imagine, but also hit hard by lahar flows that destroyed the basketball and tennis court…….. and isolated the pirate ship ??) Bottom line is the Filippinos are very happy to have us and are very willing to show that gratitude. We have a busy schedule of celebrations lined up for the next few weeks!

Power
For those of you interested: the power went off 30 November, 2006 during typhoon Remng. The power returned to our volunteer center on 10 March, 2007.

Last, but certainly not least, a thanksgiving note to Mr. Monsef, my colleague. Darius arrived here in late February to give me two weeks of R&R and did a masterful job of running the operation during my absence. Thank you, and I do respect the mustache.

Marc Young
Operations Director
Hands On Disaster Response
Project Santo Domingo

PHILIPPINES: Project extension!

Mabuhay! Exciting News!

We are extending Project Santo Domingo!! As many of you know we had planned a closing date of 31 March, 2007. Due to some recent developments we will be staying into April, 2007.

Over the past weeks we formed an alliance with the Scandinavian Children’s Mission (SCM). Immediately after Super Typhoon Reming they distributed relief supplies and since have decided to help with the rehabilitation phase. Their mission now is to rebuild as many schools as their funding allows...using our labor force! They buy the materials (thus reducing our project budgetary needs) and we help with the actual construction. Working in conjunction with them we are currently finishing one elementary school, have just started another, and still have one more school scheduled. It is an exquisite match!!

Due to the evolving nature of our relationship with SCM and their uncertainty over just how many schools they can afford to rebuild, I cannot announce a project closing date. I can tell you the following:

1. We are very excited to be able to continue helping.
2. We have quite a number of volunteers on hand who are committed to staying.
3. I hope to provide you with weekly updates as the timeframe develops.
4. We want your help, but you must understand the uncertainty of our completion date.

I am sure there will be questions and I hope that between super volunteer administrator Tom Taylor and me we will be able to answer them. Please contact us at info@hodr.org

Exciting news indeed……

Marc A Young
Director of Operations
Hands On Disaster Response
Project Santo Domingo

PHILIPPINES: 60 Day Report

Project Santo Domingo after 60 Days

Buy a Banca, Launch a Banca

Wow! The idea was simple: Hands On furnishes the materials and expert builder, then the boat owner builds his own boat, his livelihood. The outcome was overwhelming. On a perfectly gorgeous February day our volunteers helped carry the boats, some finished with names chosen by donors, the ¼ mile from the community build area to the beach. The omnipresent children, proud fathers and hardworking mothers of the barangay Salvacion gathered near the sea for the blessing of the fleet carried out by the Catholic priest. The fishermen knelt next to their boats, shielding candles from the wind, as the priest asked for their safety on the seas. The moment was too much for many (some even now …as “they” write this). The boats were launched and the volunteers were given rides, followed by rides for the children and a celebration of food, laughter, and fun. Rachel Kroeker guided this project from day one, persevering with help from other volunteers over language barriers, gender stereotyping, and a general lack of woodworking skills. She shaped a very, very successful and most rewarding project and a BIG thank you to all of you who made donations to this project.

Lahar, can you dig it?

This is hard, dirty, hot work and our volunteers love it. A continuing project for our teams (lead consistently by volunteer Tim, our “digging machine”) is to help dig out, literally, those who had their homes buried by lahar. By expediting the excavation of homes, we are helping to provide closure and a return to normalcy for the families here.

Tarping

We have now provided dry space to over 100 families in our home barangay of San Isidro! This is quite an accomplishment for us (especially if you have looked at the photos) since it continues to rain, and families struggle with difficult living conditions. Great work by everyone who has spent time with volunteers Solo, Alan, David D, Dan, and Suzi on tarp teams.

Alimsog Safari: 30 boats, 6 classrooms, 1 day care

After a scenic 20 minute jeepney ride along the coast and a 10 minute boat ride you reach the isolated fishing barangay of Alimsog. Here you will find two of HODR’s most scaled projects and Jarod, the Peace Corps volunteer, who has become our project leader extraordinaire! By incorporating homestays with 2 of the local families and rotating teams of volunteers in and out every 3 days (unless your name is Suzi and you never leave) we are helping here in a big way!

1. Following the model of our successful Salvacion banca program, we are helping to rebuild the fishing fleet with 30 boats scheduled for completion. We provided the lion’s share of the materials, the skills of a master boat builder, hand tools, and a community build location for the men to work. It is amazing to see the boats take shape as the craftsman work away.
2. During Typhoon Reming, the Alimsog Integrated school buildings lost every single piece of roofing they had. Thanks to our volunteers, some help from the community, and the leadership of or favorite contractor Jhun and his brother (Peewee) we have now re-roofed the school. Imagine yourself standing in 85°F heat on a roof as reflective as aluminum foil; no matter how much water you drink, it seems you cannot quench your thirst. Strangely enough, many of the volunteers don’t want to rotate out of Alimsog. Ok, the real reason for the love of this project is the people and children of the community. The adoration of throngs of children and the smiles of the adults will quickly win your heart. If you have ever wanted to live the life of a rock star (granted, with a hammer in hand instead of a guitar), this is the project for you!
3. This week we start to rebuild the Balete day care center (see early picture in our photo gallery). The citio of Balete is either a 1 hour walk or 15 minute boat ride…..from Alimsog! Considering the isolation of this place, it is little wonder that getting materials in to start rebuilding has been a challenge, and HODR is happy to help!

San Fernando Day Care

What started as a re-roofing project for a building that houses seventy-six 4 and 5 year olds has turned into an ongoing labor of love! Our rapid response amazed the local residents when we replaced the roof and installed bamboo windows in one weekend! Then Dan came up with a beauty of an idea: painting the walls with a mural. One of the most photogenic projects ever took place as 152 small hands put paint on the walls (and nearly everything else) in the shape of a sea and coconut tree strewn shore. Solo spent a week constructing 5 new little student desks that were presented, to the joy of the children. To finish it all off, we went back to paint the desks and even the galvanized iron roof with a protective coating.

Village Photo Project

It has been launched, with an initial run of 366 photos and a second run of 137!! The idea is to photograph as many members of the community as possible, post them for all to see, and then give them away to the subjects. In this community, where few people own a camera and those that did lost their memorabilia in the storm, our photos are a source of joy and appreciation among children and adults alike. Thanks to all the volunteers who have taken the photos and to volunteer Sarah for building the display case.

Tool banking

We have distributed a set of hand tools plus a wheelbarrow to each of the 6 Purok (neighborhood) Presidents that make up our barangay. We found many residents unable to do any work for themselves because they lacked basic hand tools. Solution? We set up a system like a library, where they can sign out tools as they need, then return them for someone else to use. Fun to see our tools being used throughout the community without any of our volunteers in sight!

Donsol Marine Resource Center

Peace Corps volunteer Julia undertook the task of setting up and building the Donsol Marine Resource Center, and HODR volunteers helped with the painting. Led by David D., a team went to Donsol (about 2 hours south of our home) to paint on a Saturday and then found time on Sunday to swim with whale sharks!

I got the Power?

The word is next week. That makes it MARCH. The typhoon was 30 November. We have heard “next week” for weeks! On a positive note, much of Santo Domingo has had their power restored at this point, and our volunteers have become accustomed to life with the generator. Our cold, outdoor showers are even relished by the volunteers as the days become perpetually hotter and hotter!

One up, one down

We now have 4 bunk beds in the house to help accommodate our growing volunteer population. Hand built by a local woodworker (and Sarah), the beds are beautiful and sturdy! You want top or bottom?

Testing, testing

When the electrical power service is restored, our neighborhood school, Sweepstakes Elementary will be ready. Tim took charge of running new wires to the buildings and checking the internal system.

End of Project

We are looking forward to one more busy month of Project Santo Domingo. We will continue to work on our core projects as well as develop new ones, until our project conclusion on 31 March. Hope to see you in the next month!

Marc Young
Operations Director
Hands On Disaster Response
Project Santo Domingo

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.

Thanks for caring,

David

PHILIPPINES: 30 Day Report

30 Days of Project Santo Domingo

Wow, what a difference 30 days make. We now have 15 volunteers on hand and have representation from 8 different countries so far!!!!! Our vols have come from the UK, New Zealand, Cameroon, Ireland, Philippines, Sweden, Canada, and the USA and every one of them is working hard to help the victims of supertyphoon Reming. The Bicol region of the Philippines was hit hard and the area is still in need.

We have completed many projects to date and continue to build our involvement in the community. A recurring theme in all of our projects is – we start, the adults help, and the children ROCK!! Laughing and working REALLY hard at the same time they assist us in whatever the task is at hand. Amazing how we (and they) can work so hard and have so much fun at the same time.

There is still time for you to volunteer and be a part of our effort (and represent your country!) here on the ground. If you cannot physically join us, you can be a key part of what we are doing here by making a donation to any of our ongoing, worthy, targeted projects. I encourage you to read our list of projects and see where you can be of the most help!

Schoolwork

Our very first project was the Sweepstakes Elementary School in our own barangay (San Isidro) where many of the buildings had ankle deep lahar still covering the floors. We showed up with a handful of volunteers and some much needed tools; the community (read: children!) turned out to do a great deal of the work! Not satisfied with helping just one school, next we went to Calayucay Elementary, where we did more of the same. This time though, with the help of local businessman and volunteer Noel Estilliomo and the cooperation of the local Mayor, we had a fire truck show up and spray down the rooms and courtyards! How fun is that?

Next we worked on rehabilitating the Sweepstakes school. Again, with a great deal of help from the community we hammered, sawed, and put up interior walls. Despite the frequent rains, we also helped (watched?) the re-roofing of one of the buildings, which returns three classrooms of usable space to the school.

No lahar we can’t shovel!

The San Isidro area was heavily affected by the “mudflows” (volcanic sand/mud) spawned by the apocalyptic rainfalls associated with typhoon Reming. Many of our neighbors will be part of a government relocation program, but it could be up to 1 year before they will have a new home. One of our ongoing projects has been and will be to help the residents shovel out their homes and the areas around their homes. So with the help of volunteer Tim Fudge (maniacal shoveler) we will help as best we can to give them a space to tide them over.

Rain Vs. Hands On tarp teams

They tell us the rainfall is distributed evenly over the 12 months each year, but it rains a lot during typhoon season and January. Consequently, we have had a huge demand for tarpaulin material and our volunteers have become quite accomplished at improvising fastening techniques. A team of volunteers can do 1-3 tarping jobs per day and the difficult, precarious ones are left to the expertise of volunteer Soloman Fombie!

And then there was light!

It was 30 November when the power went out in San Isidro; on 10 January the Hands On generator was wired into the barangay street lamps. The following evening a circuit breaker was flipped and light returned. The neighborhood poured out onto the street to celebrate and basically just hang out! The first 3 nights, each time the lights were activated, you could hear a spontaneous cry of appreciation. Now each night the residents linger under the lights from 5:30p – 10:00 (or so) for conversation and play.

Buy a banca

Success! To date we have helped restore the livelihood of over 15 fisherman and their families. Actually called a “sibid sibid” (a banca is a bigger boat of the same style), these 3-4 meter boats are worked by 1 or 2 fisherman using paddles for power and hook-n-line or net to capture their prey. The custom made, hand-crafted wooden vessels are being assembled under the sunny skies or tarpauline-protected grounds of the local tagawad (councilman) in the nearby coastal barangay of Salvacion. Hammers, chisels, planers, and saws lay scattered about the wood shavings where all of the work, save 2 cuts per boat, is done by hand. Volunteer Rachel Kroeker has been there every day to oversee (and help) the construction, and with the help other volunteers and your donations, this is a project to be proud of! The success of this effort, coupled with a greater need has led us to explore expanding the program to other barangays.

Wet books

Peace Corps volunteer Ms. Pauline Ostenkowski spent the last 17 months building a library at Bacacay East Central Elementary School, where the children have never been able to take a book home before. Typhoon Reming blew the roof completely off of the facility. Not only was the building damaged, but the collection of 3000 books was rained upon for hours. The books were moved to a dry area but the damage was done. We sent groups of volunteers on 3 occasions to help clean the books that are salvageable and segregate those that are “frozen.” Sadly, frozen means the pages of the book have become stuck together, rendering the book no longer readable. Thanks to volunteer David Driscoll, we are in the process of exploring methods to help the library re-stock its shelves full of English-language children’s books.

Lastly I would like to issue some official notices of appreciation:

1. To the Peace Corps Philippines volunteers who have been wonderful allies in our effort to help the victims of supertyphoon Reming. They have been hard workers, supportive, extremely informative, and an invaluable resource. Our time here has benefited immensely from their cooperation. I look forward to future projects with them here and can only hope that we, as an organization, will have their assistance in any future deployments.
2. To Stefanie Chang who was the “first responder” volunteer with me on this deployment. Her creative ideas, counsel, and companionship helped launch Project Santo Domingo. She will be leaving next week and her logistical skills and dedication will be missed. It is through volunteers like Stefanie here and TC in Indonesia and all of you that this organization will continue to be great.

Marc Young
Operations Director
Hands On Disaster Response
Project Santo Domingo

Darius : My Trip to the Philippines

I am recently back in the US… and very cold! There is about a 70 degree temperature difference between Santo Domingo and here Portland, OR.

My time with Marc and the rest of the HODR volunteers was a great experience and since Marc had things well under control I got to take some time to get dirty and do some good ol’ work.

This project was a hard one for me, and not because I was there for Christmas and New Year, away from my family. But because of how poor the people are in the Bicol Region where we are set-up. While we are only a short term disaster relief organization, I feel good knowing that we will be making a lasting impact in a community and leaving behind means to better themselves for years to come.

Aside from my favourite thing in the Philippines (That being the very delicious Pan De Agua bread, baked daily by our neighbors.) I loved the locals. The kids there have amazingly big hearts and bright smiles. If you like kids, then this project would be the one for you. They are always around, and they are always being helpful. If you’re trying to carry it, tear it down, pick it up, shovel it, cut it, Etc... there is always a young boy or girl who is there to help you.

One of my first days getting dirty, there were two little boys who were only 4 or 5, who used a plastic rice bag to run piles of sand and dirt to a drop off point. They were working hard and running from here to there, but at the same time having a blast. They would crack-up laughing as they ran when one of them turned a way the other didn’t expect.

Being a tall, white, hairy, big nosed, curly haired, green eyed guy also provided never ending amusement for the kids. They liked to look at me and say things like “your nose is so long!” The kids have a playful curiosity and are very welcoming into their communities. I look forward to being back soon and getting to play and work with them again.

The work has just begun for us over in Santo Domingo and this project will require lots of creative hard work from our volunteers. While I was there I got to be a part of cleaning 2 schools and putting up the walls and roof on one just in time to see the kids in their classrooms on the first day of school. We also began our boating re-building project where were will assist the local fisherman in building their own boats and cooperating to rebuild the main livelihood of their villages.

Because the damage is wide spread and the villages were already hurting before the storms, volunteers who are willing to step up and lead mini-projects are hugely important. There are plenty of resources around and ways to help people rebuild... it just takes a lot of effort and organizing to make it happen.

As always it is great too see the willingness of those who take time out of their busy lives to help others. Thanks to all of you for helping us get another HODR volunteer project rolling!
Cheers,
-Darius

PHILIPPINES: Volunteer Housing Update

We have a house! On Dec, 31, we’ll move into our new house, located in the heart of barangay San Isidro in Santo Domingo. We’ve updated our FAQs with housing details, and have also posted some photos of the house in our project gallery.

PHILIPPINES: Holiday Gift Idea

Looking for that perfect holiday gift? Looking for a gift that will keep on giving?

We are happy to announce that for a project-directed donation of $180.00 USD you can own* a genuine Filipino fishing banca. But, wait……that’s not all. If you act now we will throw in an authentic fishing net AT NO ADDITIONAL COST. That’s right for a mere $180USD you will create a livelihood for an entire family in the village of Buhatan, in Santo Domingo

Ok! That is the hype. The actuality of it is this: the fisherman in Buhatan lost 26 of their 30 bancas. This small (about 4m) family-owned boat can be rebuilt locally, providing income for the boat makers and also the fisherman. There are other larger boats in the area that are owned by businesses who hire the fisherman to work on them, but our target is to help the family-owned bancas.

We would like to be able to help rebuild the fishing fleet quickly. The peak fishing season starts in February, when the families can harvest the most profitable fish.

So, act now don’t delay! Don’t miss out on this once in a lifetime opportunity to own an authentic fishing banca and receive our free gift fishing net!!

Please visit our online donation site or email us. You can contact fisherman Tom Taylor at info@hodr.org for more details.

* Fine print: your ownership, of course, DOES NOT INCLUDE possession of the boat or the net!

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