Philippines Typhoon Relief
January 2007 – September 2024
Last updated: February 2024
All Hands and Hearts (AHAH) has intermittently operated in the Philippines since 2007, responding to disasters such as Typhoon Rai (known locally as Odette), Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) and Typhoon Mangkhut (Ompong). Our work is tailored to the unique needs of the disaster-impacted communities we work alongside. Primarily, this takes the form of restoring access to education by rebuilding typhoon-affected schools and constructing Transitional Learning Spaces (TLS). In Araceli, Palawan, this took the form of restoring livelihoods through facilitating fishing boat repairs led by an entirely Filippina team.
In May 2024, we will launch a new phase of our typhoon relief program in Southern Leyte, where we will mobilize volunteers and work alongside local community members to help build a school impacted by Typhoon Rai.
Our Work
This program aims to provide a safe and healthy learning environment for students whose education was disrupted due to Typhoon Rai. AHAH will build a new disaster-resilient building with two classrooms utilizing Cement Bamboo Frame Technology (CBFT), an innovative and sustainable disaster-resilient system. With our local partner, Base Bahay, we will provide training and a comprehensive maintenance manual on the new CBFT building to ensure the longevity of the build and a sense of ownership within the community.
In addition, the school will receive a new playground where students can safely play and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities, including accessible toilets, handwashing stations and septic tanks.
Beyond constructing a school, we will facilitate Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) training to equip the community with the knowledge and best practices to mitigate the risks posed by future disasters. We will also engage with local specialists and partners to coordinate WASH and Child protection training. Students, teachers, parents and community members will be invited to attend these public events throughout the program’s duration.
Disaster Profile
The Philippines is one of the most typhoon-impacted countries globally, with roughly 20 impacting the region annually. Typhoons, known as tropical cyclones and hurricanes in other parts of the world, are among the deadliest disasters.
Super Typhoon Rai, locally known as Odette, made landfall on December 16th, 2021, bringing torrential rains, violent winds, floods and storm surges to the Visayas and Mindanao Islands. The typhoon caused devastating impacts on infrastructure, agriculture, and fishing communities and damaged or destroyed 1.7 million homes. An estimated 9.9 million people were severely affected, leaving about 2.4 million people in need of assistance and 408 fatalities.
Southern Leyte was one of the worst-affected provinces. Out of 528 schools, 312 of them were severely impacted. Rai destroyed 522 classrooms and damaged over 1,500.