Yolanda relief

Caritas Switzerland delivers relief packages to Bantayan.

Caritas Switzerland (CACH), in collaboration with Action Aid and its local partners, conducted relief operations in northern Cebu following the devastation brought by supertyphoon Yolanda last Nov. 8.

Caritas delivered comprehensive relief packages to about 9,000 families in the municipalities of Santa Fe and Madridejos in Bantayan Island.

The relief operation is anchored in the belief that disaster survivors have the right to a life of dignity. With this in mind, Caritas strives to provide quality assistance to its beneficiaries.

Each relief package contains 10 kilos of rice, 15 canned goods, 1 can biscuits, 1 kilo sugar and 1 kilo monggo beans.

Non-food items include 1 Jerry can water container, 1 flashlight with battery and 1 bucket.

Hygiene kits contain sanitary napkins, family-size toothpaste, 5 pieces toothbrush, 2 family-size bath soaps, 2 pairs of slippers and 1 bottle hyposol. For shelter materials, the package includes 1 kilo ordinary nails, 1 saw, 1 hammer, 1.8 x 12 sq.m. tarpaulin and a 30-meter rope.

According to the Sta. Fe Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management officer Albert G. Camay, “This is the first time since relief operations started after typhoon Yolanda that Santa Fe received a comprehensive relief package that fully complies with humanitarian standards.”

Prior to the relief distribution, the partner organizations conducted a rapid assessment in northern Cebu to determine the extent of the damage in the target areas and identify the communities’ most pressing needs.

Yvonne Affolter, CACH program coordinator for Emergency Response in Indonesia and Japan, said, “This assessment is a critical part of the disaster response effort since this ensures that aid is based on evidence of actual need.”

“We want to make sure that no one in need is excluded from the assistance we are offering. In this, we are fostering good coordination with local officials as well as empowering community participation,” Affolter added.

The relief operations in Cebu are done in partnership with the Lihok Pilipina Foundation Inc., A2D Project—Research Group for Alternatives to Development Inc., PhilDHRRA Visayas and Pagtambayayong Foundation Inc.