MANILA, Philippines — Survivors of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines ushered in the new year still picking up the pieces of their damaged properties while also reeling from the trauma of the typhoon. Hundreds of thousands of families, meanwhile, have begun rebuilding their lives with the sustainable response accorded by the UN Refugee Agency.
More than 350,000 typhoon survivors have received assistance from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the form of solar lanterns, tents, plastic sheets, blankets, jerry cans and kitchen sets in typhoon-ravaged communities in Tacloban, Ormoc, Guiuan, Borongan, Roxas, and Cebu.
The number exceeds the 300,000 beneficiary target set by the agency under its revised funding appeal for US$19.2 million announced on 28 November 2013.
The agency will ring in the new year with the distribution of a further 10,000 solar lanterns to light up far-flung communities, on top of the 7,000 it has so far provided. The agency has also partnered with the private sector to disseminate much-needed relief supplies in the early weeks of January—800,000 pieces of clothing with Japanese clothing brand Uniqlo, 1,300 mattresses and beddings with Swedish furniture company Ikea, 500 chain saws with Swedish power product producer Husqvarna, 60 chainsaws with Japanese electronics brand Hitachi and 500 gumboots with Japanese rainwear company Kohshin Rubber Co.,Ltd.
This second wave of relief efforts will be on a “needs basis,” prioritizing the most vulnerable typhoon survivors including persons with disabilities, the elderly, women and children, indigenous communities, and an often-ignored group: widowed men dealing with the loss of their wives and children, according to Bernard Kerblat, UNHCR Representative in the Philippines.
The provision of relief materials is supported by UNHCR’s policy-shaping interventions to enhance safety in disaster-stricken communities. UNHCR, as co-lead of the Protection Cluster with the Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development, coordinates, and implements protection activities for typhoon survivors. UNHCR has supported the National Commission on Human Rights in the deployment of dozens of additional female police officers in the affected regions and the joint training of 1,500 members of armed forces, police and civilian authorities to raise awareness and help mitigate the increased protection risks facing typhoon survivors, such as trafficking, and sexual and gender-based violence.
UNHCR’s current funding for typhoon emergency response stands at US$14.4 million, or 75 percent of the US$19.2 million the agency appealed for in November. Funding sources include the governments of Norway, Japan, Republic of Korea, Spain, Brazil, Germany, and Sweden, as well as private donors and the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).
“We are moved by the continued interest and support from the international community and the private sector to back relief efforts for the many whose lives were disrupted by Typhoon Haiyan. UNHCR and its partners will continue to address the protection concerns of the displaced not just with life-saving relief, but with durable solutions in the long-term,” said Kerblat.
Contact persons:
Marmie Liquigan (Manila), External Relations/PSFR, [email protected], +639189208765
Johanna Morden (Manila), External Relations, [email protected], +639173055573
Kent Bolisay (Tacloban), External Relations, [email protected], +639294577645
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