Flooding in 2009 left many homeless in Manila
A few days ago I switched on my tv and heard the tragic news, that again, the Philippines had been hit by a tropical storm and many lives were being severely affected by Typhoon Haikui. More than 2.4 million people in 144 municipalities have been affected by the weather so far and more than 3,100 homes have been damaged.
As I listened to the report my mind went back to a woman I met in the Philippines back in 2009. Her name was Denciang, she lived in a small community in Nueva Ecija. Her story was heart breaking.
Looking over her destroyed crops.
On average, it takes 3 years for farmland to recover after flooding has taken place, allowing crops to be planted again. Denciang explained how she had only just managed to plant her crops after the last flooding had impacted the land when another typhoon hit, totally destroying everything she had toiled so long for. That’s 3 years of hard work…all for nothing. Denciang felt helpless and desperate but fortunately, thanks to Outreach International, she was able to obtain a micro loan to enable her to set up a simple village store business which would help get her through the difficult times.
Micro loans enable small stores such as this to be established which provides extra income.
Tropical storms seem to be a way of life for many Filipinos, unfortunately, it’s often the poor and marginalised who suffer the most.
At Outreach International, we’re determined to work closely with rural communities to find sustainable solutions to these problems so that when the storms come again, people can still thrive.
Posted by Wayne Rowe – Communications Team – Outreach International 