500 chainsaws will be delivered in early March to vulnerable populations in three of the most typhoon-devastated communities—Tacloban, Guiuan and Ormoc.
The UN Refugee Agency and the International Organization for Migration are set to distribute hundreds of chainsaws to help provide durable solutions to thousands of people left homeless by Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda).
500 chainsaws will be delivered in early March to vulnerable populations in three of the most typhoon-devastated communities—Tacloban, Guiuan and Ormoc. The chainsaws, valued at SEK2.4 million (USD370,000), were donated by Swedish power tool producer Husqvarna to assist in salvaging coconut trees cut down by the super typhoon. The donation will be distributed in partnership with Catholic Relief Services, Christian Aid, Oxfam, People in Need and ZOA.
More than 33 million coconut trees were lost in the aftermath of the typhoon, leaving at least a million coconut farmers with no means of livelihood. Typhoon Haiyan’s swooping winds also damaged more than one million homes and displaced over four million people in November 8 last year.
The joint effort by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to bring chainsaws into affected communities is seen to address the enormous need for temporary shelter and permanent homes that remains months after the disaster.
“The chainsaws will empower typhoon survivors to take charge of their own recovery. They can use the coconut lumber they salvage as materials to rebuild their homes, while also clearing their communities of fallen trees,” said Bernard Kerblat, UNHCR Representative in the Philippines.
UNHCR co-leads the Typhoon Haiyan Protection Cluster and IOM co-leads the camp coordination and camp management cluster alongside the Philippine Government. The distribution of chainsaws links the protection and shelter strategies of both agencies.
“This donation will help facilitate the large-scale effort of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines, the international community and, especially, the Filipino population and civil society to rebuild safer shelters in the wake of the destruction caused by Yolanda. The provision of shelter is a very important, but by no means the only, element in a longer process of advancing durable solutions for the displaced population and reducing exposure to future disasters,” noted IOM’s Chief of Mission in the Philippines, Marco Boasso.
CONTACT PERSONS:
Johanna Morden (UNHCR) +639173055573 | [email protected]
Joe Lowry (IOM) +63933565484 | +66818708081 | [email protected]
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