From Disability and Vulnerability Focal Point to mobile unit

Nine months after Ondoy, when the current project was being designed, the primary question we asked ourselves was how the Disability and Vulnerability Focal Point (DVFP) approach could be adapted to be relevant given the many changes in context since the flooding.

And the question our donors asked us was how HI could assure that the needs we will be addressing under the DVFP continue to be directly related to or caused by Ondoy. A justified question especially as unlike other natural disasters being responded to by HI, the flooding brought about a lot of damage to shelters and infrastructure but did not cause many injuries or disabilities to the affected population. These proved to be important and critical questions in allowing the previous DVFP project to evolve and continue to be relevant today.

From a DVFP approach fixed in three different municipalities and targeting all Ondoy-affected population, a more ‘mobile’ approach was conceptualized and put in place. Activities targeting disability and particular vulnerability are now being implemented through a mobile team of physiotherapists, occupational therapists and a master carpenter, targeting mainly relocation sites established for Ondoy victims and the few remaining evacuation centers. This approach ensures that our target groups are well-defined; and while the disability and vulnerability issues we are responding to may not be caused by Ondoy, relocation and prolonged displacement pose real risks in exacerbating them.

The mobile team therefore seeks to ease the process of relocation for flood-affected persons with specific needs, not only in HI-established relocation sites but also in sites managed by other actors such as the International Federation of Red Cross, the International Office of Migration, and various local government units. This provides us a venue for ‘indirect action’ - the sensitization of other actors through concretely showing them how disability and vulnerability can be and should be included in their activities. So far, the mobile team has worked in eight different sites in five municipalities, covering more than 3,000 relocated or displaced households.

The mobile team has two primary activities: the distribution of technical aids carried-over from the first project, and a new component, household accessibility modifications. The latter was added to ensure that shelters are adapted to each person’s specific needs and to the assistive devices being distributed, as the uniform shelter design (or lack of a design!) in target sites usually means that each shelter is not adapted to special accessibility needs.

While challenging due to the sites’ varied status – from tent cities to permanent shelters, from 30 households to 1,200 – assistance provided by the mobile team has visibly led to the improved adjustment of beneficiaries and their households to their new homes and an increase in their participation in their new communities, effectively vanquishing any doubts we may have had on the relevance of HI’s continued presence here. « back

WE DID IT! Shelters for the homeless

With minor adjustments as a new employee of Handicap International, the words row houses, tenements, and housing units which I used to juggle back in my previous jobs with the Philippine government housing agencies has been replaced by "emergency shelters", "transitional shelters" and "repair kits" – the seemingly magical words which, every time the potential beneficiaries hear, brings an indelible smile in their faces.

Working with HI is like restructuring, redefining, & reiterating all the passion and optimism I have in a deeper and more profound level so as to cope with the fresh challenges and be able to deliver not only the expected outcome but most importantly, to serve the purpose of immediately providing the much needed shelter assistance to the extremely vulnerable persons living in makeshifts, tents, and severely damaged houses.

Our team, with the Project Manager as our "pilot", has accomplished the project’s major goals within almost four (4) months time frame – 250 emergency shelters for most vulnerable households in Tanay and 1, 015 repair kit materials for the damaged shelters due to Typhoon Ketsana in municipalities of San Mateo and Angono of Rizal province.

As part of the shelter team, we have had our claim for our very own rewards for accomplishments. It is the gratifying reward of accomplishment awarded to us by the beneficiaries through the hearty acknowledgement with smiles, tears, hugs, and thank you letters (as well as improvised banners). The direct exposure we have had as we gather first-hand information and conduct on-site inspection has served as a live documentary on how people strive to survive despite the tragedies of losing the hard earned possessions and beloved relatives during the calamity. The experience showed us how the vulnerable people survive the test of time without the basic resources for a decent and comfortable living. This reward translates to us as self-fulfillment that at the end of the day, as we address the immediate needs of the beneficiaries and the Local Government Units concerns, we have solidly completed the project through hard work as a Team. The equal opportunity to learn and share every knowledge and skills under the inspiring leadership of the HI emergency response team (Philippines) has provided a vast room for the team to be highly productive.

These are just few of the things our team has agreeably noted. We may still have few things to enhance but one thing is for sure that we will continuously look back to the lessons we have had and will continuously find ways to improve to the best quality. Within each of us we know that our team, as part of Handicap International, has been instrumental for uplifting the people’s lives of Rizal province, Philippines – an all worth it and gratifying feat ;-)

Rosalie Pasibe, Repair Field Coordinator - San Mateo « back

The Handicap International Experience

Denise Margaret S. Matias, Project Officer (Information and communication)- Solid Waste Management Team It was 1985, two years after I was born, that Handicap International came to the Philippines. Unfortunately, I only got to know about Handicap International in 2009 when typhoon Ketsana (locally known as typhoon Ondoy) hit the Philippines and caused severe flooding and landslides.

Handicap International was one of the humanitarian NGO who quickly responded to the needs of badly-hit areas. Emergency response was very common then, but what was particularly interesting with Handicap International was their focus on Persons with Disabilities (PWD) and on other extremely vulnerable persons. I believe no other organization focuses on this sector as much as Handicap International does. And it’s very interesting to be working for a unique organization like Handicap International – I get unique experiences as well.

The Philippines is composed of 7,107 islands and I believe it is the archipelagic nature of the country that "disconnects" other Filipinos from fellow Filipinos. My work in Handicap International allowed me to "reconnect" with fellow Filipinos whose lives are quite different from mine; it made me "see" what I would not normally see in my day-to-day existence.

With the work of the Solid Waste Management Team of Handicap International, I hope to contribute not just to the cleanliness and beautification of the surroundings of the typhoon-affected Rizal Province but also to the improvement of their lifestyle. It is through these disasters and emergency responses that I know we are not at all disconnected. Handicap International’s Emergency Response showed me that there is always something beautiful from ugly disasters: the connections and friendships that we make, discoveries of the unknown, and realizations that even with 7,107 islands, a nation can still be one. « back

"We were not prepared to such a catastrophe"

October 06 2009
Michelle, Administrative Officer for Handicap International in the Philippines was at home with her family when the flood started in the city of Manila. She was very affected by the catastrophe seeing many people lost their lives and everything. She explains what happened for her.

My name is Michelle, I am 33 years old. I am Administrator Officer for Handicap International in the Philippines. I was at home when the flood came. Saturday morning, on September 26th, until 1 o'clock it was raining hard, but at first we thought it was an ordinary rain, but then a heavy flood started to pour through the city of Manila. We didn't have electricity, the rain wasn't stopping, the wind was blowing and we were not able to move because of the flood during 3 hours. Nobody was prepared for this. All means of communication were off, some satellites were down. We only had the battery of our cell phones to communicate, for those which where not drowned. We opened our windows to check on our neighbors and get some news.

My two children, aged 7 and 4 years old, were at home with me. We also gathered our important documents. One of our neighbors had an inflatable boat so he could move and check the others, he told us to be ready in case the flood would come too high so I prepared rubber rings to my two children. We are in the middle of the two drowning villages. Lucky enough that the water didn't come in on our village; But many people around us lost everything. One of my colleague had her brother and mother trapped in their house, with water above their chest level, and another colleague's family was rescued after spending 1 ½ day in the flood. It is still very difficult to communicate as many places don't have electricity. It is very traumatic. Some of my relatives try to swim into the deep flood only just to save their lives. I never thought I would be affected like that. Many of my friends lost their house, their car, everything...

Today many people still are in danger. Some people do not have dry clothes since Saturday and many children are getting sick, some have fever and cough badly. They also have difficulty cooking because they don't have kitchen utensils anymore. People help each other, everyone do their best as some have received help and some still have nothing. We hope the situation gets better quickly but we really need help to face such a catastrophe. Many people, our friends, our families are in a deep distress. « back

Two Weeks after Typhoon Juan (Megi)

Maraming Salamat Po*
* Thank You Very Much!
By: Cesar C. San Pedro, HI - Isabela Project Manager

Isabela, Philippines. Located on the northern part of the Philippines and comprising of 35 municipalities and 2 component cities, it was severely damaged on 18 October, 2010 by super Typhoon Megi.

One week after, HI Emergency team was in the area to conduct general assessment of the damage and from here, series of actions and interventions were made: distribution of emergency shelter kits in the coastal town and started the shelter repair kit and specific needs items distribution projects with ECHO and Swiss Solidarity as donors covering 2.140 households.

For two weeks, frenzied activities were going on: securing office and warehouse spaces, staff house, vehicles, staffing and sourcing of essential communication and office equipment. The office was mobile: in rooms and in lounging areas of the local hotel where the team initially stayed. Announcement was aired in the local radio station as well as posted in the LGUs and school premises for job opportunities available to the professionals and skilled workers from the local community.

Training, orientation and workshop for the staff ensued with support coming from the experts from HI - Antipolo team…. and HI - Isabela team was born. The team is composed of field engineers, community workers, assessors, master carpenters, database officers, physical and occupational therapists on the project side and logistic officers, assistants and drivers on the support side was structured in addition to the administrative and management complement.

Detailed assessments of affected families were made. The assessment team composed of PT/OT, assessors and master carpenters had to cross rivers and rugged terrain to reach the affected population. In some instances, they had to walk 1 km (0,6 mi) to reach the next house. The link between the communities/beneficiaries and HI was provided by the community workers while the shelter field coordinator provided the technical aspect of materials, design and construction or repair. The repair has to respect the shelter cluster standard.

The resiliency of the "Ilaguenos" surfaced while doing the assessment. Anything that can be salvaged from the wrath of the storm was re-used for temporary repairs. The others who are financially capable started re-building while some resorted to coping mechanism by borrowing money from informal sources with exorbitant interests and many just used other materials like tarpaulin and plastic sheeting for roof over their heads and walls to shelter them from the elements. Sourcing of wood proved to be a challenge when a moratorium on cutting of lumber was imposed. There was the log ban! The logistics manager had to search the province and its environs for wood making sure the source was legal and the environment respected and at the same time protecting the financial concerns. It was a nightmare.

	Then the first distribution of repair kits was made to the beneficiaries in the barangay grounds. All mode of transport were utilized by the beneficiaries: it was a mix of machine, beast of burden and human power to bring the kits in places that will be their home. Happiness pervaded the air. Smiles were everywhere both from the beneficiaries and the donors.

The community was alive. Repair and construction have started. The "bayanihan" (helping one another without monetary consideration) spirit became alive again. Beneficiaries took turns helping other beneficiaries in the repair.

On the specific needs component of the Isabela project, HI staff met Jerome and his family in Barangay Sto. Domingo, Quirino, Isabela last January. Jerome Dalit, a 7y/o boy, who was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy (Spastic Quadriplegia), a case wherein his four limbs and torso are affected with increase muscle tone or activity, that results to his inability to do a lot of things, including independently eating and bathing, which a kid his age should be able to do. Inspite of this, Jerome remained to be a jolly kid, who often smiles whenever his name is called.

During assessment, one of the needs his mom, Raisy, mentioned was a new wheelchair. After doing physical assessment, the need of prescribing thumb splint for both hands and a pair of ankle foot orthosis were seen to prevent further deformity and the inter-vention did not end there. After demonstrating and giving home therapy instruction program, the occupational therapist together with the master carpenter saw the need of modifying their main entrance for easy access of the new wheelchair. The family was asked of their opinion about the suggested modification which was very much welcomed by the mother. "Thanks to Handicap International! »,said Raisy, with such joy in her eyes, "Now I can easily bring Jerome to the community center or to the neighbors for a stroll with much ease" she added. The whole family was more than willing to participate in the construction, Jerome was even more excited as he lean to watch the ramp constructed.

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