Hundreds of Millions of Dollars Still Needed to Help Philippines Survivors
December 10, 2013 // One month after the super typhoon devastated the Philippines, swift emergency response undertaken by ACF has helped save thousands of lives. Despite this, to help the population move from mere survival to sustainable wellbeing, hundreds of millions of dollars are still needed.
“One month after the super typhoon we have successfully completed the first, most essential emergency response efforts. However, 15 million people still need help to rebuild their homes and livelihoods and move from mere survival to autonomy, ” explains Amador Gómez, Technical Director of Action Against Hunger / Action contre la Faim (ACF), who coordinated the humanitarian organization’s response to the emergency.
Approximately one month ago, the United Nations called upon the international community to raise at least $301 million for initial emergency relief efforts, which would span approximately six months. To date, only 49% of those funds have been committed, leaving over $150 million still to be pledged.
“Although the situation has improved markedly in recent weeks, thousands of people have lost their homes and are still concentrated in some 1,000 evacuation centers,” said Gonzalo Palacios, security lead for Action Against Hunger, who helped reinforce security efforts to ensure the safe and efficient distribution of aid.
Given the level of destruction in the nine provinces affected, thousands of people are trying to leave the region. “We do not want people to flee and attempt to re-locate in Manila out of desperation. This could lead to severe overcrowding in an already overwhelmed city, resulting in substandard sanitation and only increasing the levels of poverty,” says Gómez.
“The initial emergency response so far has been critical for survival, but the post-emergency phases of rehabilitation are still indispensable. Livelihoods must be re-built.
“We are in a race against the clock to help farmers plant the next crop of rice, which will be essential to re-establishing food security. Meanwhile, over the next few months cash transfer interventions will help cover basic needs for families. Such programs have proven highly effective to meet immediate needs while we work on enhancing the autonomy of the population and helping the country gain strength and resilience. This, the real race line, will take more than a year,” Gómez concludes.
Donations for ACF can be made online here
For more information, contact
Camille DePutter, Director of Communications
Action Contre la Faim | Action Against Hunger Canada
Office: 416.644.1016 x 6
cdeputter@actionagainsthunger.ca
Local ACF contacts in the Philippines available upon request.