PHILIPPINES TYHPOON
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November 2013We consider our aid trip to the Philippines an unqualified success.
The devastation of the Philippines due to super typhoon Yoland(Hyan) in November 2013 is impossible to adequately describe. Many parts of the country look like the aftermath of a huge bombing raid. Across the country millions of homes and businesses are destroyed or seriously damaged. The landscape is littered with millions of downed and broken coconut palms, a crucial tree in the Philippines. |
We worked with Fr. Neil Tenefrancia, communications priest for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Borongan on Samar where Yoland first made landfall. He assisted us with logistics and aided us in narrowing our focus to a manageable and meaningful aid project.
Our target community was Lawaan, a coastal town of about 11,000 people. Our primary project was to create a co-op farm for the community. Prior to the project, all food for Lawaan was imported some distance from other communities. The 7 acres for the farm was provided by Fr. Neil's family, but it was dense jungle land. We hired a local crew of about 40 unemployed men to clear the land. This in itself was significant in that most means of earning a livelihood had been destroyed by the typhoon.
The men spent their wages in Lawaan, helping to revive the town's economy. One man used some of his wages to reroof his typhoon damaged home. Another was able to replace his lost motor bike. All were able to buy groceries to feed their families.
The men were fed nutritious lunch each day as part of their employment. They worked 8 hours per day, 6 days per week clearing brush and trees, making lumber from the trees, and building farm structures from the lumber. In addition, they carried the 85-pound sacks of cement more than half a mile up and down hills through clinging mud in the hot humid weather to the farm. The cement blocks and re-bar had to be carried in a similar fashion. They carried sand and gravel from nearby streams and pits, carrying endless heavy sacks long distances on their heads.
To date they have cleared the land, built a nursery for starting seedlings, built a cooking hut, built a sturdy multipurpose room for Ag. specialists to teach organic, dug a 15 foor well, built 2 comfort rooms and built a laying house for the hens. They are already harvesting sweet potatoes, their nutritious leaves and gabi(similar to taro) and will soon have ripe pineapples and herbs. About a third of the area is now planted in squash, carrots, cucumber, tomatoes, corn and melons all with seed from Salinas. The chickens may already be installed by now and the pigs should follow shortly.
About 12 people have bought shares in the co-op farm by means of a note of credit at zero percent interest. From the net profits of the farm a percentage will go toward paying off the loan. When loans are paid off, the resultant pool of money will be used to start similar farms for other towns. During its operation, villagers will be hired to work the farm and will also benefit from a profit sharing program.
The entire town of Lawaan will also benefit because the food from the farm will be sold cheaper because there will be no transportation costs. Townspeople have already put in orders for produce from the farm. Additionally, our farm project has inspired at least two additional farms to start up.
The chainsaws purchased for the project will continues to provide incomes as they will either be used to make more lumber to be sold or for reconstruction or will be rented at reasonable rates to those needing to clear downed trees. Currently there are so few chainsaws available and are in such high demand that they are rented at exorbitant rates that few can afford.
John and Doug also met with the co-op members to help them craft a workable and sustainable business plan.
Other projects included the purchase of special lumber to help reroof the Lawaan Central Elementary School (a school of over 1000 students), provision of glass beads and other materials to enable local women to start a micro-industry making rosaries, and the provision of crucial medical supplies to the local medical clinic.
In summation, we provided immediate employment for the unemployed, started a new industry, started a micro industry, helped revive the economy of Lawaan, inspired the start up of several new farms, and most importantly brough hope, inspiration, and friendship to many.
Special thanks are due to the Salinas Cebu Sister City Club and the Rotary Club of Salinas Steinbeck who donated additional funds to make this all possible.
Our target community was Lawaan, a coastal town of about 11,000 people. Our primary project was to create a co-op farm for the community. Prior to the project, all food for Lawaan was imported some distance from other communities. The 7 acres for the farm was provided by Fr. Neil's family, but it was dense jungle land. We hired a local crew of about 40 unemployed men to clear the land. This in itself was significant in that most means of earning a livelihood had been destroyed by the typhoon.
The men spent their wages in Lawaan, helping to revive the town's economy. One man used some of his wages to reroof his typhoon damaged home. Another was able to replace his lost motor bike. All were able to buy groceries to feed their families.
The men were fed nutritious lunch each day as part of their employment. They worked 8 hours per day, 6 days per week clearing brush and trees, making lumber from the trees, and building farm structures from the lumber. In addition, they carried the 85-pound sacks of cement more than half a mile up and down hills through clinging mud in the hot humid weather to the farm. The cement blocks and re-bar had to be carried in a similar fashion. They carried sand and gravel from nearby streams and pits, carrying endless heavy sacks long distances on their heads.
To date they have cleared the land, built a nursery for starting seedlings, built a cooking hut, built a sturdy multipurpose room for Ag. specialists to teach organic, dug a 15 foor well, built 2 comfort rooms and built a laying house for the hens. They are already harvesting sweet potatoes, their nutritious leaves and gabi(similar to taro) and will soon have ripe pineapples and herbs. About a third of the area is now planted in squash, carrots, cucumber, tomatoes, corn and melons all with seed from Salinas. The chickens may already be installed by now and the pigs should follow shortly.
About 12 people have bought shares in the co-op farm by means of a note of credit at zero percent interest. From the net profits of the farm a percentage will go toward paying off the loan. When loans are paid off, the resultant pool of money will be used to start similar farms for other towns. During its operation, villagers will be hired to work the farm and will also benefit from a profit sharing program.
The entire town of Lawaan will also benefit because the food from the farm will be sold cheaper because there will be no transportation costs. Townspeople have already put in orders for produce from the farm. Additionally, our farm project has inspired at least two additional farms to start up.
The chainsaws purchased for the project will continues to provide incomes as they will either be used to make more lumber to be sold or for reconstruction or will be rented at reasonable rates to those needing to clear downed trees. Currently there are so few chainsaws available and are in such high demand that they are rented at exorbitant rates that few can afford.
John and Doug also met with the co-op members to help them craft a workable and sustainable business plan.
Other projects included the purchase of special lumber to help reroof the Lawaan Central Elementary School (a school of over 1000 students), provision of glass beads and other materials to enable local women to start a micro-industry making rosaries, and the provision of crucial medical supplies to the local medical clinic.
In summation, we provided immediate employment for the unemployed, started a new industry, started a micro industry, helped revive the economy of Lawaan, inspired the start up of several new farms, and most importantly brough hope, inspiration, and friendship to many.
Special thanks are due to the Salinas Cebu Sister City Club and the Rotary Club of Salinas Steinbeck who donated additional funds to make this all possible.