Please consider supporting relief and recovery efforts in the Philippines in the wake of Super Typho

da doc03 · Feb 10, 2014

so glad to be involved and help others in time of need. Great job Fam!

owensstr8clownin · Feb 18, 2014

Awesome Job NT

Methodical Management · May 9, 2014

When Typhoon Haiyan swept across the Philippines last November, winds of 195 miles per hour snapped coconut trees in half like matchsticks and reduced homes to crumbles. More than 6,000 people lost their lives and 4.1 million people were uprooted from their homes.

Thursday marks the six-month anniversary of Typhoon Haiyan. I wanted to take this moment to thank you and Nike Talk for your generosity and update you on how your support continues to impact the lives of Filipino families. I also wanted to share with you this striking photo essay<http://www.mercycorps.org/photoessays/philippines/6-months-after-haiyan-banking-recovery> of the difference you have made, along with a video of thanks<http://www.mercycorps.org/6-months-after-haiyan-thank-you-philippines> from one of our Filipino staff members. I hope you will consider sharing these pieces with your colleagues and others who made this work possible, so that they know how critical your support is and how grateful we are for your partnership.

Mercy Corps’ initial response focused on addressing survivors’ immediate needs for food, clean water and emergency relief items (blankets, soap, shelter items, etc.), with a focus on those in remote areas that had received little or no assistance. We also partnered with ChildFund International to create child-centered spaces which provided critical psychosocial services to help children recover from trauma.

In January, Mercy Corps shifted our focus to longer-term recovery. Many families lost not only their homes, but also their livelihoods. We saw an opportunity to help people get back to work, get back in their homes and to help businesses get back up and running. To that end, we are working with BanKO, a microfinance bank in the Philippines, to deliver cash grants to survivors via mobile phones. This safe and efficient form of support ensures that people can purchase exactly what they need for their families, while kickstarting local markets. It’s also an opportunity for those who have never had access to a savings account to store funds safely and securely using their mobile phones. To date we have registered nearly 22,000 households and distributed funds to over 8,000.

Casimira Amoren Isidto was one of the first to register for the program. In early November, Casimira’s husband died of acute appendicitis. During the wake a few days later, winds began whipping around the house where her family was keeping vigil, and Casimira sent her four young children to a neighbor’s home to take shelter. When the storm subsided, she found that her home had been completely destroyed. With her husband gone and four young children to support, Casimira began to contemplate her next steps. She registered for Mercy Corps’ cash transfer program and used the initial funds (roughly $45), combined with a little savings she had, to make a down payment on 41 square meters of land near her mother-in-law’s house. When asked why she decided to use the money to invest in land, she told us “Because no matter what happens, it’s yours. You can call it your own.”

As part of the program, Casimira will receive two additional cash transfers in the coming months. She told us that she plans to keep the payments in her mobile savings accounts to earn interest, so that she can save for her children’s school fees and other expenses.

The immediate cash boost is an important step in the economic recovery process, both for families like Casimira’s and the local shops where she’ll buy the tools and goods she needs to recover. As a next phase in our recovery programming, BanKO and Mercy Corps have teamed up with IDErg, the non-profit arm of global design firm IDEO, to gather input for the design of new financial products that will be tailored to the needs of those hardest hit by Typhoon Haiyan. You can hear more about this process in this short video<http://www.mercycorps.org/philippines-banking-recovery>.

On behalf of all of us at Mercy Corps “daghang salamat,” many thanks for your partnership to bring help and hope to Typhoon Haiyan survivors.
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memphisboi55 · Jun 15, 2014

Too late to donate more..?

Methodical Management · Jun 15, 2014

memphisboi55 said:

Too late to donate more..?
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No, it's not too late. The fundraising page is still open and they'll continue to use donated funds to support recovery efforts in the Philippines.

Now that we're over six months in, any members who contribute should send me a PM to ensure that their reward badges are processed quickly.

memphisboi55 · Jun 20, 2014

Thx!

gil23 · Nov 24, 2014

Is it too late ?? Was out of job at the moment thanks.

Methodical Management · Nov 24, 2014

gil23 said:

Is it too late ?? Was out of job at the moment thanks.
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It's not too late. We've received a few new contributions to that page after it was mentioned in the topic post of our current fundraising drive for Room to Read.

My previous response in this thread still applies. You can contribute as long as the fundraising page remains open. Just be sure you make your contribution through our fundraising page (https://www.mercycorps.org/people/niketalk/philippines), leave your username as a comment, and then send me PM so I can add your badge.

sneakerpimp2k8 · Dec 2, 2014

Donated!

Sneaker P · Dec 2, 2014

Just donated.

since85 · Dec 9, 2014

Just donated $25! Feels good to make a difference.

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Please consider supporting relief and recovery efforts in the Philippines in the wake of Super Typho

da doc03

owensstr8clownin

Methodical Management Administrator Staff Member Co-Founder

memphisboi55 Moderator

Methodical Management Administrator Staff Member Co-Founder

memphisboi55 Moderator

gil23

Methodical Management Administrator Staff Member Co-Founder

sneakerpimp2k8

Sneaker P

since85

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Please consider supporting relief and recovery efforts in the Philippines in the wake of Super Typho

da doc03

owensstr8clownin

Methodical Management Administrator Staff Member Co-Founder

memphisboi55 Moderator

Methodical Management Administrator Staff Member Co-Founder

memphisboi55 Moderator

gil23

Methodical Management Administrator Staff Member Co-Founder

sneakerpimp2k8

Sneaker P

since85