Philippines Typhoon Relief
January 2007 – September 2024
Last updated: July 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 launched a new phase of our typhoon relief program in Southern Leyte, where we are mobilizing volunteers and working alongside local community members to help build a school impacted by Typhoon Rai.
Our Work
Our newest program in Southern Leyte aims to provide a safe and healthy learning environment for students affected by Typhoon Rai. The team is constructing a disaster-resilient building with two classrooms at Mahayag Elementary School, in partnership with Base Bahay, where we will provide training and a maintenance manual to ensure the building’s longevity and community ownership. Additionally, the school will receive a new playground and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) facilities, including accessible toilets and handwashing stations. We are also facilitating Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) trainings and coordinating WASH and Child Protection sessions, inviting students, teachers, parents and community members to participate.
Current Activities
In June, we held a groundbreaking ceremony with our local partner Streetlight to mark the start of construction, attended by local authorities and partners. Volunteers began installing Cement Bamboo Frame Technology (CBFT) at Mahayag Elementary School. Our Female Mason Training Program, which has been ongoing throughout AHAH’s Nepal programs since 2017, was initiated for the first time outside Nepal. We were joined by four women from the local community, who are being trained in construction skills and CBFT while supporting the school’s construction.
The community underwent training with DISOP, an NGO focused on reforestation and the planting of endemic species. They were trained in planting local plant species for soil stabilization.
Constructing With Sustainability
The school rebuild projects utilize Cement Bamboo Frame Technology, an innovative, disaster-resilient construction system. Sustainability and endurance are the core features of CBFT, which provides livelihood to farmers while benefiting the environment. The strong root network of bamboo stabilizes soil and water tables. Remarkably, bamboo reaches structural grade in just three to five years, making it an efficient and renewable building material. Its use in construction has a significantly lower carbon footprint compared to conventional systems.
Additionally, buildings made with bamboo offer a more comfortable indoor climate, reducing energy consumption during occupation. Bamboo structures have remarkable resilience, standing strong against earthquakes and typhoons, with strength comparable to steel.
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.