POPE FRANCIS VILLAGE

Bago pa man dumating ang dagok na dala ng bagyong Yolanda, 37 taon na akong nakilala sa pangalan na Yolanda Sembrero. Isa po akong survivor ng bagyong Yolanda na tumama sa Tacloban, Leyte noong Nobyembre 13, 2013 at ngayon ay nabigyan ng pagkakataong magkaroon ng permanenteng tirahan sa Pope Francis Village. Nitong Hulyo 15, 2016,  isa po ako sa napiling magrepresenta ng aming komunidad sa isang forum patungkol sa estado ng Yolanda Recovery and Rehabilitation na inorganisa ng Development and Peace at NASSA-Caritas Philippines.  (Before the devastating Yolanda came, I was already known as Yolanda Sembrero for 37 years. I am a survivor of typhoon Yolanda that hit Tacloban, Leyte in November 13, 2013 and now given a chance to have a permanent shelter at Pope Francis Village. Last July 15, 2016, I was chosen to represent our community in a forum about the State of Yolanda Recovery and Rehabilitation organized by Development and Peace and NASSA-Caritas Philippines.)  Ma...

It's been over two years and a half  since Supertyphoon Yolanda (Haiyan), a massively catastrophic, level 3 disaster ravaged the Philippine archipelago. It presented huge challenges to affected communities, who despite the outpouring funding support from multi-lateral organizations, official aid agencies, non-governmental and other private-sector organizations continue to grapple with poverty and marginalization. The scale of disaster impacts likewise changed the landscape in which humanitarian and development actors operated and responded at the height of disaster response, recovery and rehabilitation. Although there have been numerous researches, evaluations and conferences conducted by different organizations related to the state of Yolanda recovery and rehabilitation, integration of much needed information and lessons to collectively address the issues of Yolanda survivors is highly wanting.  It was the first time that Development and Peace-Caritas Canada along with CBCP-N...