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-- WITH PHOTO -- TO NATIONAL, AND RELIGION EDITORS:
Church's Typhoon Response Builds Resilience, Boosts Economy
NEW YORK, March 4, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Episcopal
Church in the Philippines (ECP) has completed the initial relief phase
of its response to Typhoon Haiyan - known locally as Yolanda - and
will continue to assist impacted communities in rebuilding homes and
rehabilitating livelihoods. Episcopal Relief & Development supplied
funding and technical support for these activities, which have
strengthened relationships among participating communities, built
local resilience and created economic growth.
Typhoon Haiyan struck the central Philippines on November 8, 2013,
causing widespread flood and wind damage. ECP immediately sent
locally-sourced relief supplies and medical teams to areas that had
not been reached by larger humanitarian efforts. From November to
February, ECP staff and volunteers distributed a total of 10,317 food
and hygiene relief packs. ECP purchased the food items from
Church-based cooperatives in the northern part of the country, and
volunteers packed the supplies in bags crafted from surplus donated
clothing.
Sara Delaney, Program Officer for Episcopal Relief & Development,
commented that "ECP sees disaster response as part of their larger
work, and looks at how the response can utilize programs they already
have while strengthening communities to be more resilient to
challenges."
For the first round of long-term recovery work, Church staff
identified four barangays (municipalities) on the island of Leyte,
where severe winds destroyed homes and wiped out crops. Local farmers
are now starting over with all-natural, harvest-boosting fertilizers
and techniques from the Church's Tadian Demonstration Farm.
Supplemental food assistance will continue during this time of
rehabilitation, as farmers have been able to replant their fields but
will not be able to harvest for several months.
Economic rehabilitation is essential for the long-term recovery of
typhoon-affected areas, and ECP is working with the Philippine Center
for Social Enterprise to restart existing businesses and develop new
ones. For supplier communities outside the impact zone, participating
in the typhoon response led to an increase in production capacity,
which will position them to compete in the regional market.
Additionally, many of the products are organic, strengthening their
competitive advantage and responding to the growing demand in the
Philippines for organic food.
With wind speeds peaking at 195 miles per hour, a majority of
residents in the four selected barangays experienced severe or total
damage to their homes during the storm. Utilizing Interlocking
Compressed Earth Block (ICEB) technology pioneered by the locally
based JF Ledesma Foundation, residents will be able to use local
materials to produce low-cost, durable bricks for home
reconstruction. Recovery plans include other proven risk reduction
strategies such as planting trees and other vegetation to combat wind
and erosion.
Looking ahead, ECP plans to explore the potential for long-term
recovery partnerships in four additional barangays that were impacted
by the storm. By applying a "receivers to givers" methodology, ECP
enables program participants to eventually "give back" by contributing
labor or a portion of income to help other groups start projects of
their own.
Following their asset-based approach, ECP will accompany communities
through the relief and rehabilitation phases of disaster recovery,
laying a foundation for further community development beyond just
rebuilding to pre-typhoon status. "The aim of the ECP disaster
response is to help communities identify their own strengths and
capitalize on them," Delaney said, "so that after several years of
growth, they are not only fully recovered, but stronger."
Episcopal Relief & Development is the international relief and
development agency of the Episcopal Church and an independent
501(c)(3) organization. The agency works with Church and ecumenical
partners to fight poverty, hunger and disease.
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110421/DC87843LOGO
SOURCE Episcopal Relief & Development
-0- 03/04/2014
/CONTACT: Faith Rowold, 1.855.312.HEAL (4325), ext. 7546 / 212.518.0546
/Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110421/DC87843LOGO
/Web Site: http://www.episcopalrelief.org/
CO: Episcopal Relief & Development
ST: New York Philippines
IN: CST
SU: REL NPT
PRN
-- DC76450 --
0000 03/04/2014 16:50:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com
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