Philippines
ADRA Philippines
Serving the local population since 1984
Following Typhoon Haiyan, ADRA Philippines increased interventions to meet the demand for assistance. For more than a year, we were in rapid response phase, providing basic needs such as water, food, and shelter. In February 2014, we transitioned into recovery phase, with a focus on shelter, livelihoods, and disaster risk reductions (DRR).
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Danilo’s Story
Philippines
Danilo’s Story
Philippines
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Danilo’s Story
Danilo is a fisherman from Panay Island in the Philippines. Growing up impoverished, he had no chance to get an education and began fishing for a living at 12 years old.
Fishing is the only livelihood he’s known, so he was devastated when Typhoon Haiyan destroyed his boat as it swept through the Philippines in 2013.
ADRA provided boat repair materials to close to 600 fishermen so that they could get back to work and recover their livelihood.
With his background and limited resources, Danilo has experienced many difficulties, and he does not want his children to share what he went through. His belief is that a person who doesn’t finish school needs to work extra hard to take care of his family.
“With 38 years in the fishing industry, I have been able to send my four children to school,” said Danilo. “Two of them have already earned their college degrees.”
It’s this determination that wouldn’t let him give up as he saw his boat, his entire source of support for his family, broken into pieces. It was incredibly hard to pay for his children’s education without an income coming in. Hundreds of other fishermen suffered the same fate.
ADRA introduced a Boat Repair Assistance Grant (BRAG) program to help Danilo and 562 other fishermen rebuild their livelihoods by providing repair materials to reconstruct their damaged fishing boats, nets, and other necessary equipment.
“ADRA has empowered fishermen like me by bringing back our livelihoods so we can feed our families and send our children to school. I am very happy and excited that ADRA provided boat repair materials,” said Danilo.
Danilo is already using his repaired boat and now earns 450 pesos ($10) a day. This is close to his pre-typhoon daily earnings of 500 pesos ($11) and much more than the 200 pesos ($4.50) a day he struggled to support his family with in the three months following Haiyan.
Philippines Office
Denison Grellmann, Country Director
Silang, Cavite, 4118
+88029034096
Additional Information
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Capacity Statement Overview
In the wake of disaster, ADRA Philippines initiated the Support to Self-Recovery for Shelter (SSRS) program, which is currently assisting 5,950 households. Many families are living in shelters unsuitable for humans, and are often susceptible to sickness, crime, and further destruction of their home, food supply, and livelihood. Through SSRS, ADRA Philippines is providing the equipment necessary to rebuild, including galvanized iron sheets, lumber, rope, nails, saws, and hammers, among other valuable supplies. The project was completed in Kalibo, where 550 homes have been rebuilt, and five additional communities are well under way.
Our website further highlights the projects, programs, and people of ADRA Philippines. -
Country Overview
In November 2013, Typhoon Haiyan destroyed the homes, incomes, and lives of millions. Since then, the Philippines has steadily been rebuilding. Currently, the island nation is one of the most promising developing countries, but poverty continues to affect the steadily growing population, which is predicted to double in just three decades.