In addition to continuing the first two teams’ efforts in addressing the survivors’ needs for food, water and temporary shelters through the provision of tarpaulins, MR’s third deployment introduced a Cash-For-Work (CFW) programme to help with the rebuilding of devastated homes and damaged ones such that families can return quickly to some form of normalcy of life. Incidentally, the CFW programme not only provides financial boost in the form of temporary employment for those who have lost their jobs due to the Category 4 typhoon, but also the psychological boost to the community that they can start fending for themselves once again.
MR’s Senior Manager Masahiro Ishizeki, who was also in the earlier response team, said from the ground, “We have brought in more of our own manual-powered water filtration systems, PedalPure, to allow more communities to have better access to clean potable water and hygiene practices. There is a real need to get the people back to their homes and start rebuilding their lives. The CFW programme complements our earlier efforts in providing tarpaulins, building materials and tools to help the people realise their dreams of spending this Christmas in their own homes.”
Since 7 December, MR has personally delivered and distributed more than S$60,000 worth of aid to the Bopha survivors.
Desperation Defined – Communities in Barangay Ngan living on the streetside without basic survival essentials.
Fate Favours Faith –– In the midst of the mega mayhem, a statue of the Virgin Mary survives the brunt of Bopha unscathed.
Tough Terrains – –MR teams had to negotiate challenging grounds to reach affected remote communities
Hands United – Local villagers helping to unload the PedalPure, bales of tarpaulin and jerry cans for deployment and distribution.
Cash-For-Work – –Communities benefiting from the CFW programme in the form of housing, wages and psychological boost.
Lost Livelihoods – –Bopha destroyed $81 Million of agricultural crops
Potable by Pedaling – –Training of Civil Defence officers on the mechanics and maintenance of MR’s own water system, PedalPure.
Ready for Delivery – –More than one thousand families received food parcels including rice, beans and dried seafood.
Smile of Relief –MR team distributing food parcels and jerry cans for storage of clean water from the PedalPure.
Line of Relief – –Local communities making their way back after collecting their relief supplies.
On 6th December, CDRC and the Philippines government made a direct and general appeal respectively, for international assistance after Typhoon Bopha struck the southern island of Mindanao, displacing nearly one millionpeople and claiming over 1000 lives. MR’s first team reached the devastated areas of Davao and Compostella early Friday morning, within 20 hours of the appeals.
A public fundraising has been launched from 7th Dec to 31st Dec 2012 to support MR“s aid efforts for the victims of Typhoon Bopha.
About Mercy Relief
Mercy Relief is a Singaporean humanitarian organisation which engages in both disaster relief and sustainable development programmes. It was established in 2003 as an independent non-governmental humanitarian charity responding to the human tragedies in Asia. Mercy Relief’s aid programme focuses on providing timely and effective assistance to disaster-stricken communities and has maintained the delivery of emergency aid within 72 hours from the point of appeal for assistance.
In the past 12 years, Mercy Relief has disbursed over S$32 million in aid across 40 disaster relief and 53 sustainable development initiatives. Mercy Relief has impacted an aggregate of 2 million lives in 24 countries and areas, namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, DPR Korea, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Palestine, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and Yemen.
For more information, you may call us at 6514 6322 or email corporateaffairs@mercyrelief.org
