Greetings from the Philippines!


January 13, 2014

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Greetings from the Philippines!

I am writing from Manila as I work with UNICEF to support the Child Protection efforts of the humanitarian response to Super Typhoon Haiyan. With winds as strong as 235 mph, this typhoon was the strongest recorded tropical storm ever to hit land (on November 8th, 2013).

This is a fascinating response to be part of. The Philippine government is active and capable, but was overwhelmed with 1/3 of its land devastated by Haiyan. Two months after the initial crisis, the paramount issue is shelter. The typhoon destroyed everything in its path – even concrete buildings. There is nowhere for people to rebuild that is safe. More bleak is the fact that the Philippines will likely experience more typhoons – increasing in frequency and intensity. Thus, we are advocating strongly for investment in resilience – teaching local leaders and community members how to prepare for storms and when to evacuate. Focusing on prevention will better serve these communities in the long term.

In Child Protection, we are working closely with government and NGO partners on the ground to reconnect separated children with their families, provide child-friendly spaces that keep kids away from dangerous debris, and alerting police at ports, bus stations, and airports to be on the lookout for cases of trafficking.

The issues are numerous and the response is ongoing, but these communities are brave, strong, and incredibly grateful. They take care of one another and rally to rebuild together. It is a privilege to be part of empowering the people in their own recovery. I’m proud to say that the UN coordination is doing very well at building the capacity of the government and local NGOs to manage the ongoing response.

It’s strangely rewarding to have a job where I get to say, “I hope I don’t see you again.”

Feel free to email me if you’re interested in hearing more about the response!