You’ve seen the images. The complete devastation and gut-wrenching emotions on the faces of Typhoon Haiyan victims are simply heartbreaking. As I sit comfortably in my office on Thanksgiving week – looking forward to a family celebration- the contrast couldn’t be more distinct. I knew this blog post had to be about gratitude for the important disaster relief and recovery work being conducted by four ‘friends of For Momentum’ organizations. A summary of Typhoon Haiyan recovery work is provided along with quick-links to make a donation. There is a lot to learn from these dedicated and experienced organizations. Be sure to read to the end where I’ll include disaster response take-away tips.
TYPHOON HAIYAN
Typhoon Haiyan (also referred to as Typhoon Yolanda) hit the Philippines Friday, Nov 8, 2013. It has been reported to be the deadliest natural disaster to hit the Philippines. Sadly, the death toll has now been reported at 5,000. And, according to U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Situation Update, a total of 4,009,074 persons have been displaced, of which 354,042 have found shelter in 1,551 evacuation centers. 595,662 damaged houses (295,264 totally and 300,398 partially) were reported.
Those numbers are simply staggering. The recovery process ahead is enormous. The following four well-respected nonprofit organizations mobilized immediately and effectively and continue to provide much needed support and we want to take a moment to THANK them for their important and tireless work. And, THANK YOU in advance for considering making a donation to support a child, family or entire community.
IMPORTANT DISASTER RELIEF & RECOVERY WORK:
SOS CHILDREN’S VILLAGES, CWS, CARE AND UNICEF
SOS CHILDREN’S VILLAGES:
About: SOS Children’s Villages (SOS) is the world’s largest organization dedicated to the long-term care of orphaned and abandoned children, providing them with families and stable homes – aiding over 1 million people each year. SOS operates over 500 villages in 133 countries
SOS has more than 60 years of experience in disaster recovery and has worked in the Philippines since 1967, and supports more than 8,000 people across the Philippines via Children’s Villages, Youth Facilities, Kindergartens, Vocational Training Centers, and Family Strengthening Programs. Its emergency recovery work benefits from local cultural knowledge and long-standing presence in the places affected by disasters, trust and recognition as a reliable partner, and established cooperation with local authorities.Your Support Can Help: The SOS Children’s Village in Tacloban was home to over 100 children, a youth facility, and two family strengthening programs that provided daycare, vocational training, and health care to the surrounding community. Super Typhoon Haiyan pushed walls of water through Tacloban Village. SOS Moms and staff were able to see the children safely through the storm but the Village is now destroyed. The town of Tacloban is flattened.
“It was horrifying; I thought I was going to die. Half of our rooftop went flying,” says eleven year-old Marie from Tacloban, who was injured by glass as windows were shattered by the raging storm.
In addition to a long-term recovery plan being informed by ongoing damage assessment, SOS’s current focus is on providing for the basic needs of its children and families and ensuring the safety of local children who have been separated from their families.
Here’s How You Can Help:
Sponsor the Tacloban Village or a Child or DONATE NOW
CWS
About: CWS works with partners to eradicate hunger and poverty and to promote peace and justice around the world. CWS is on the ground in 42 countries with ability to deliver humanitarian assistance in over 140 countries through global alliance.
In response to Typhoon Haiyan, CWS provided immediate assistance to more than 200,000 people, emergency food to 259,000 people, non-food items (plastic sheeting, etc.) to 192,000, water/sanitation repair to 205,000, programs of cash for work for 63,400, shelter assistance for 90,000 people, and disaster risk reduction programs for 2,500.
Your Support Can Help: CWS will target subsistence farmers, small fishermen, poor urban dwellers and female-headed households among the most-affected by the typhoon, as they have very limited capacity, finances and resources of their own to recover from the recent disaster. In addition, CWS is providing technical support to the local members of the Asian Disaster Reduction & Response Network, ADRRN, as well as People Disaster Risk Reduction Network, PDRN, International Children Action Network, ICAN, and Daughters of Charity.
Here’s How You Can Help: DONATE NOW
About: CARE works in 84 countries around the world and places a special focus on women, children and other vulnerable populations, who are often disproportionately affected by disasters. Last year CARE’s emergency response and recovery projects reached nearly 14 million people in 40 countries. CARE has worked in the Philippines since 1949 and in Vietnam since 1989. Its emergency response teams specialize in providing lifesaving food, water, shelter and health care. CARE has more than six decades of experience helping people prepare for disasters, providing assistance when a crisis hits and helping communities recover after the emergency has passed.
Your Support Can Help: Your gift will help CARE position and deploy needed supplies and staff, make funds available to emergency-affected communities for immediate assistance, strengthen its ability to respond to future emergencies, and provide overall program oversight to ensure the highest-quality response.
Here’s How You Can Help:
DONATE NOW to CARE’s Typhoon Haiyan Response Fund
UNICEF
About: Every day, 18,000 children under the age of five die from things we can prevent. They die of things most people in the U.S. rarely worry about. Malnutrition. Unsafe drinking water. The lack of an affordable vaccine. UNICEF is doing whatever it takes to reach a day when the number of children dying from preventable causes is not 18,000—it is ZERO. UNICEF works in more than 190 countries and territories to help all children reach their full potential.
Your Support Can Help: UNICEF has been mobilizing all of its available resources to reach children impacted by Typhoon Haiyan. Immediately after the storm, staff rushed to deliver aid from prepositioned stock. UNICEF Supply Division airlifted water purification tablets, medical kits, tarpaulins, nutrition supplements and other essential goods from its warehouse in Copenhagen. Today, UNICEF is on the ground in Tacloban, Cebu, Roxas, Ormoc and elsewhere assessing needs and delivering aid.
Here’s How You Can Help: DONATE NOW
DISASTER RESPONSE TAKE-AWAY TIPS
Customize Your Communication: Include specific details about your organization’s unique role in the recovery process, including the process you will take to support those in need, your history and experience with the problem at hand, and your current achievements thus far. Help a prospective donor understand the unique contributions your organization will make to the solution.
Connect Emotionally: Make the critical issues tangible by sharing touching human stories. Emotional images and quotations from those who survived the ordeal are powerful ways to activate compassion for those in need. Create an appeal that makes the situation “feel real” by offering opportunities to empathize with the victims.
Be Prepared to Communicate Early & Often: Large scale disasters are gut-wrenching…people will often respond to the first inquiry they receive out of a need to “do something.” Be prepared to get your appeal out immediately and effectively. Then, follow up often showcasing achievements and updating your audience about the latest needs and goals.
Partnerships Can Expand Your Reach: Have a plan in place with your strategic and corporate partners so that your organization is the go-to charity when disaster strikes. Corporate philanthropy plus consumer and employee donations (including corporate donation matching) can significantly increase your capacity to serve the populations in crisis.
Thank you for considering a donation to support the relief and recovery efforts of these special For Momentum friends. Every single dollar helps these outstanding organizations and those they serve.
