Aid group launches Yolanda ‘One Year Later Fund’ for Guiuan, Samar

Gratitude from the people of Guiuan, Samar. CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS

SAN FRANCISCO–A year after the devastation brought about by Yolanda in the Philippines, US-based nonprofit Give2 Asia has launched the “Yolanda: One Year Later Fund” drive to sustain its community recovery efforts in Guiuan, Samar, the first town hit by the super-typhoon.

To support the drive, Give2Asia Board Director George SyCip and his wife Barbara hosted a fundraising dinner at Villa Taverna on Monday, November 17.

A town some five-hour ride from the major Leyte city of Tacloban, Guiuan has a population of about 50,000 people many of whom are now living in temporary homes provided by United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with tarpaulins hanging over their heads serving as roofs.

”They needed to rebuild their homes but also need resources to buy lands to build these homes on,” explained Birger Stamperdahl, president and chief executive officer of Give2Asia.

“There was lack of infrastructure in Guiuan for clean water and waste management that exacerbated the problems when disaster struck. Local community and evacuation centers are also needed by local government units,” he added.

Long-term recovery

Although the group initially funded some relief projects in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, after raising $1.7 million in the first two months after the disaster from private companies and foundations, Stamperdahl explained that long-term recovery is their focus involving partnerships with local groups on a wide range of rehabilitation effort.

Aside from rebuilding, the recovery efforts have included skills retraining, health services, psychosocial programs for people with post traumatic stress after a disaster, youth and education programs, preparedness for future disaster and livelihood programs that include business planning and microfinance involving women’s participation.

Give2Asia field advisor Alexie Mercado (middle) with volunteers.

Give2Asia serves as the connection between international donors and trustworthy local organizations in Asia. It seeks to make philanthropy safe and effective for corporations, foundations and individual donors and clams to have the largest network of any international advised grant-maker working in Asia.

Stamperdahl estimated that they have funding for at least another two years to do the needed livelihood and home rebuilding work.

Staying much longer

“At first we were saying we’d like to be there three years after the disaster, but we’d like to be there much longer and that’s is one of the reasons why we launch this fund drive,” Stamperdahl related.

“Each step of the way we’ll be checking with the local community to know what is it that they need. There has to be a match with the resources we have and what they are asking for.”

Guiuan was chosen from many other towns and even cities needing help, Guiuan residents and leaders were “very transparent” on what their needs were, Stamperdahl explained.

“We were impressed with the different local organizations like the Guiuan Development Foundation, Inc (GDFI) that already existed there. We are also happy that the mayor (Christopher Sheen Gonzales) and other local government officials were receptive to talking to us about local projects. This is the first time that we will be working with them, but we had like a yearlong series of conversations with them,” Stamperdahl said.

“We can certainly help the local government in building new homes if they had lands to build the homes on. The planning process and lack of logistics like building materials also have caused the recovery process to start at a later date,” Give2Asia Philippine Field Advisor Alexie Ferreria-Mercado recounted.

As for improvements in the past year, the relief stage in Guiuan is almost over, reported Mercado, and that the international nongovernmental organizations and other aid organizations will depart in the coming months.

Aid groups leaving soon

“The city government is bracing for this by determining a framework for long-term recovery of homes, infrastructure, and livelihoods. In another discussion in May 2014, issues surrounding land acquisition for the relocation of homes was foremost,” Mercado reported.

Among Give2Asia’s major achievements in the past year were a total of four classrooms built, home repairs and potable water source restoration, rainwater harvesters installation, and the provision of education starter kits, psycho social therapy and disaster risk reduction seminars.

Guiuan kids smile amid destruction.

The organization has chosen to use the “sandbox approach” in Guiuian, where successful long-term rehabilitation initiatives are used as a model to convince other donors to be their partners in future projects in other towns that also need help.

Since 2001, Give2Asia has responded to over 40 natural disasters throughout Asia, providing long-term support at the community level for a minimum of three years after the disaster.

It has also raised over a quarter of a billion dollars and successfully served the needs of international philanthropy with its on-the-ground presence, knowledge of diverse social and economic conditions and the expert matching of donor interests with effective grantees.

In the Philippines, it has funded 97 local organizations since 2002 and focuses its efforts on disaster recovery.

For more information on Give2Asia “Yolanda One Year Later Fund”: www.give2asia.org.

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