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PDRF, Lutheran World Relief help communities in Negros Occidental recover from Odette

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Philippines
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PDRF
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AUGUST 5, 2022, NEGROS OCCIDENTAL — The Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), supported by Lutheran World Relief, recently distributed cash assistance, water filters, and shelter repair kits to several barangays in the Municipality of Ilog, Negros Occidental as part of PDRF’s ongoing early recovery programs for the communities affected by Typhoon Odette.

According to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Negros Occidental was one of the provinces hardest hit by Typhoon Odette, with 1.23 million people affected and more than 209,000 houses destroyed. Ilog was one of the municipalities which experienced strong winds, heavy rains, and widespread floods.

The PDRF early recovery team consulted with the different barangays of Ilog to determine the communities’ immediate needs and priorities to implement the appropriate programs. The team provided cash assistance for food and non-food items to 496 families. Shelter repair kits, consisting of high-quality tools and sturdy materials, were distributed to 110 households.

Typhoon Odette also severely compromised access to safe water and sanitation facilities. PDRF partnered with Waves for Water—a non-profit organization that provides access to clean water through various solutions—to address this problem.

PDRF and Waves for Water distributed and demonstrated the use of 190 water filters to several barangays in Ilog. Each filter has a lifespan of five to ten years and, if properly maintained, can provide clean water for five to ten households, saving each family around PHP 6,000 a year on mineral water. The communities were encouraged to share the water filters with their neighbors to ensure that more people would benefit from these innovations.

“PDRF aims to help those affected by different disasters and we also hope to give you the chance to be more resilient,” said PDRF president Butch Meily as he joined in the distribution of shelter repair kits to one of the barangays. “Our dream is that you have safer and comfortable lives, and hope for the future.”

These activities were made possible by financial support from Lutheran World Relief, an international non-governmental organization focusing on sustainable development projects and disaster relief and recovery.

PDRF has been working on early recovery programs with other Odette-hit communities around the country, including Siargao, Dinagat Islands, Bohol, and Cebu. The recovery activities are customized not only according to the needs of the communities on the ground but also to empower communities to become more resilient against future disasters while using climate-change adaptive, sustainable solutions.

Contact:

Camille Rae Lim - Communications Officer, Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation

Email: clim@pdrf.org.ph