Tag Archives: Philippines

Reaping the Fruits of Hard Work

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A Heifer International project participant works at a food cooperative in the Philippines

Jane Lutong at work at the Barangay Food Terminal in the Philippines

Story by Jun Dom-oguen and Marifee A. Lucaney; Photos by Jun Dom-oguen

Over the past three months, Jane Lutong began to reap the fruits of her hard work and has gained empowerment through participation in Heifer International’s project in Bauko and Sabangan, Philippines. Barely 10 months after receiving gifts from Heifer — including a gilt (a young female pig) — Jane was able to sell eight of the pig’s offspring.

“I am lucky with the gilt I received because it costs more than the project budget per gilt, I added one thousand pesos to be able to get the gilt, which was really big and matured. True enough, just after the original placement celebration, the gilt already was in heat so I mated her immediately. She gave birth after four months and I fattened all the piglets,” Jane says. “I sold eight of them which gave me a gross sale of [US $1,364] I still have one left in preparation for my pass on. I am again taking care of three piglets, which my mother pig gave me for the second time.”

Jane is a very active self-help group member, and she is very proud to say that she has perfect attendance at all the group’s activities.

“I strongly believe that the success of the cooperative is due to the fact that they are living most of the cornerstones we learned from our project. These include full participation, accountability, sharing and caring, genuine need and justice, training and education and spirituality,” she says. “There is also good leadership and all are committed to the cooperative vision. We have started with good foundations, which are Heifer’s Cornerstones.”

Jane is also a very active member of the Maggon Rural Improvement Club (RIC) in Maggon, her community. As a demonstration of her personal development, she was selected to represent Maggon to the National Organic Agriculture Congress in Baguio City in June. “I can’t believe that I was able to present the result of our earthworm composting project during the Congress to the Secretary of Agriculture of the Philippines. I was trembling at first but my self confidence really grew, thanks to our Heifer project, which honed my skills in public speaking. Who would have thought that a sixth grader in me could speak in public and teach others about a technical subject?” Jane said proudly with a big smile.

Jane used part of the proceeds from the sale of her pigs to renovate an old house inherited from her parents. As if the universe conspired to bring her luck, their Rural Improvement Club (RIC) project (called Barangay Food Terminal) was approved. She leased the renovated house to RIC for a very minimal amount. At the same time, Jane became the sales clerk of the terminal.

“I accepted the offer because I can still take care of my pigs while doing the job. I also practice what I learned from the recording and book keeping training I attended sponsored by Heifer International,” Jane says. “I will only get 30% of the net income of the store, but it will help our self help groups as it will also serve as an outlet for our products — especially vegetables.”

Jane enthusiastically took on more duties, leading the monitoring of families and livestock to update information for each pass on. She reported that 20 families were ready to pass on in September based on the sizes of livestock offspring. “I will be happy if all the members of this project will be able to pass on gifts by November. The earlier the better so that other families will have the opportunity to receive gifts. It will also be an honor for our community if we pass on early,” Jane says.

Since Jane is also a member of the feed formulation group, she had the opportunity for a co-learning visit to the Sun Jin Feeds Milling factory in Bulacan. “My goal was to learn more about feed formulation, taking into consideration that Sun Jin feeds are better. True enough, I was able to see the processes of feed formulation from preparation to packaging. I was able to validate the facts we learned – that quality ingredients give quality feeds, and in formulating grower feeds, it is very important that crude protein should be 18% because if is less or more, pig growth will be affected. I think we are now really ready to formulate our own feeds.”

With several months to go before project completion, Jane continuously demonstrates the levels of impact Heifer wishes to see from the partner families. From a reserved mother, she is now gaining the respect of her fellow partner families as she is empowered to lead others by example and hone her skills and develop leadership capabilities, not only for her benefit, but in service of the community.

Editor’s note: This post is part of a series that follows the progress of specific families, starting at the beginning of their work with Heifer. You can read the first post about Jane Lutong and her family here.

Jane’s newly renovated house which is now a Barangay Food Terminal.

Jane feeding her new fatteners (second generation offspring of her pig)

 

Disaster Reduction and Gender in the Philippines

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Today is the United Nations International Day for Disaster Reduction. This year’s theme is Women and Girls – the [in]Visible Force of Resilience.

The rural poor suffer greatly from disasters of all kinds every year. It is because of their poverty and often precarious living conditions that they are particularly vulnerable. In many of Heifer International’s projects, we provide training and support in Community Managed Disaster Risk Reduction (CMDRR) Efforts.

Gender roles vary widely between cultures. Although women’s social, economic and cultural position in many societies makes them more vulnerable to natural hazards, they are important agents for change, development and advocacy. For more than four years, Heifer Philippines has worked hard to incorporate women in disaster reduction efforts.

Disaster Reduction: Disaster Drill at a school

Students perform a disaster drill as part of their Community Managed Disaster Risk Reduction Plan. Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

Evelyn Martinez, 39, is a mother, wife, village leader, educator and ardent advocate of CMDRR in Lamba, a coastal village in Legazpi City, Albay. Lamba is a quaint village of 1,286 residents who have suffered countless typhoons, floods, landslides and the fury of the most active volcano in the country, Mayon Volcano. Mayon’s eruptions in December 2009 displaced 12,000 people, causing serious, longterm damage.

“We lacked knowledge and skills, we just left everything to fate, we were scared and helpless, we just looked at these hazards face on and admitted to ourselves that there was nothing we could do to help ourselves. Looking back, our community just realized that lack of knowledge is vulnerability, and vulnerability kills. When Heifer came to our community and extensively trained us on CMDRR, life was never again the same. We are no longer vulnerable, because we understand everything that needs to be done before, during and after hazard events.”

Evelyn became very active in all disaster reduction trainings. In fact, she was chosen to be the CMDRR committee chairwoman in their barangay (village).  She is one of the most knowledgeable resource speakers on disaster reduction in Lamba. She trains other project members, other communities, academics and anybody who wants to learn from Lamba’s disaster reduction experience.

Disaster Reduction Plan

Evelyn shares the risk and capacity map, indicating families living in high-risk areas and where families should go for safety during a disaster. Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

Heifer Philippines’ view on gender roles in disaster reduction is elaborately explained in one of the United Nations documentation on Women and DRR, to wit:

Women and children are particularly affected by disasters, accounting for more than seventy five percent of displaced persons.  In addition to the general effects of natural disaster and lack of health care, women are vulnerable to reproductive and sexual health problems, and increased rates of sexual and domestic violence.  Moreover, gender roles dictate that women become the primary caretakers for those affected by disasters – including children, the injured and sick, and the elderly – substantially increasing their emotional and material work load.  Women’s vulnerability is further increased by the loss of men and/or livelihoods, especially when a male head of household has died and the women must provide for their families.  Post disaster stress symptoms are often but not universally reported more frequently by women than men.

With this reality, the Heifer project families of Lamba took specific gender roles in relation to disaster reduction to heart. Before and during typhoons, Evelyn and the women in the community:

  • Secure family assets, clothing and important documents
  • Prepare food, medicine and first aid kits
  • Prepare other members of the family, especially children, pregnant or nursing mothers, the disabled and the elderly, to evacuate if needed

Older children are tasked with assisting their mothers in food preparation, taking care of younger siblings, running needed errands ensuring their own safety.

These roles are clearly defined and well explained to all families. When facilitating trainings, Evelyn ensures nobody is left out. Everyone has a role to play and can contribute, no matter their conditions.

These roles were put to the test when a strong typhoon hit the community in 2010. Everyone remained safe.

In addition to specific disaster risk reduction trainings from Heifer, the overall improvements in families’ livelihoods has dramatically increased their resilience. Self-help groups form savings groups to ensure that no matter what happens, after each hazard event, the community can easily bounce back. They also plant climate-resistant crops such as sweet potatoes and other root crops to have a secure food supply. They have planted mangroves along coastal areas near their community, which act as windbreakers, protecting the village from destructive winds.

Disaster Reduction: planting mangroves in Lamba

Heifer project participants plant mangroves in Lamba as part of the community's Disaster Risk Reduction efforts. Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

“Preparedness is the key. We cannot be complacent. Hazards can come anytime.  We are prepared, and we know what to do”, Evelyn proudly shared.

“We used to lack knowledge and skills on how to deal with hazards and were always scared out of our wits whenever the typhoon season came, leaving our livelihoods and our very lives to fate. Damage from typhoons caused more hardships to our already poor community. Through the Heifer project, we learned a lot from the Cornerstones and through trainings such as CMDRR. We learned how to take care of our livelihoods and safeguard our lives against disasters and avoid suffering the indignity of just waiting for relief. We have become a disaster resilient community.”

From the Field: Heifer’s Work Around the World

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This weekly post shines a light on a handful of stories from Heifer.org’s “From the Field” section.

Resiliency is an accurate description for Heifer’s project participants. In Armenia, the Kyureghyan family lost all their livestock in an earthquake and struggled to make ends meet. Find out what happened when Heifer came to town in The Secret to the Kyureghyan Family Success. 

For Carol T. Balisong of the Philippines, life just keeps getting better. This past Women in Livestock Development (WiLD) award winner owns a popular cafe in her town. Read more about Carol in Revisiting the Past: WiLD Awardee Still Doing Wonders. 

Resilient women in Haiti

No stranger to natural disasters, residents of Haiti are learning sustainable practices through Heifer’s REACH project. Check out What’s New in Haiti to learn more.

Literacy has a big part to play in making one resilient, and the younger literacy skills are acquired, the better. Celebrating Literacy for More than Just One Day spotlights various South African schools that are finding success with Heifer’s Read to Feed program.

This is what Social Justice Looks Like

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Today is World Day of Social Justice, as declared by the United Nations in 2007. In celebration here are four images of what social justice looks like in the four corners of the world where Heifer International works.

Social Justice is girls in Nicaragua, where 32 percent of girls over 15 are illiterate, attending school because their families don’t need them to stay home and work.

Photo by Darcy Kiefel, courtesy of Heifer International

Social Justice is a Ghanian community taking charge of their future through enterprise.

Photo by James Grooves, courtesy of Heifer International

Social Justice is a husband in the Philippines who, after attending trainings on Heifer’s 12 Cornerstones for Just and Sustainable Development, values his wife’s work and begins helping provide for his family.

Photo courtesy of Heifer International
Social Justice is a war widow in Kosovo having the means to provide for her family.
Photo by Heather McClintock, courtesy of Heifer International

Jane’s New Self Confidence

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by Heifer Philippines


Jane Bangao-Lutong, 53, used to live locked inside her shell, wallowing in insecurity and bouts of self-pity. Her husband, Alejandro Lutong, was murdered in November 1995 and ever since, Jane bore her hardships in silence and raised three children amidst a life of wanting and poverty.

Jane lives by herself in a house made of pine lumber with GI sheets roofing built when her husband was still alive. The house was located on a rocky high bank along the Bayudan River in Supang, a mountainside village in the town of Sabangan, Mountain Province in Northern Philippines. Alfred, her eldest son, is now 29, is married and living with his own family. Norvy, the second son, is 22, a working student who supports himself through college (he is on his third year). Her youngest, daughter Je-ann ( 21), is also on her third year of college taking up hotel and restaurant management. Norvy and Je-ann stay in a boarding house in the town of Bontoc where their college is located, about an hour and a half away from Supang. They visit Jane every other weekend and during school breaks and holidays.

Jane has no advanced education, completing only the fifth grade. Jane worked hard in silence, and maximized whatever available resources to raise her children and send them to school. The murder of her husband has strengthened her resolve to raise her children but left her feeling insecure, withdrawn and misunderstood by neighbors.

“Poverty has denied me of higher education, I do not want my children to suffer the same fate, this is the only heritage I can give to them,” Jane says. Her children did their part, looking for ways to support their studies, but there are times where they have to stop and enroll again when money is available. What the children cannot do is restore Jane’s confidence. Jane’s insecurity and withdrawn personality resulted in lost opportunities to make the family life better. Her relationship with her children, at times, becomes stressful and strained, especially when they began working for their own. “I am just sorry that I cannot continuously make it easy for them, they have to learn early how to also support themselves,” Jane added.

Before joining the project, which started a year ago, Jane earned a living planting rice in a 1,000 square meter rice terrace in the hills of Supang. Cropping is once a year and whatever harvest she gets is just for family consumption for the whole year. She augments this by vegetable gardening. Money comes from hired farm labor whenever available and from sales of extra vegetable produce. The children meanwhile also do hired farm labor for their school needs. In times of emergencies, the family gets by with loans from the Rural Improvement Club in Supang Village (with very minimal interest) and small loans from relatives. Jane also raised native pigs, which she sold during some occasions to keep up with certain tribe traditions and for household needs. Simply put, the family is really hard pressed to make ends meet and survive.

“It is quite fortunate that me and my children do not experience serious illnesses, as we only depend on the Philippine Health (PhilHealth) Program for indigent families paid for by the provincial government for our health needs,” Jane says. “Also, the relationship within the family is okay, except for minor misunderstandings, especially when the children try to convince to try new things and look for opportunities,” she added.

But life is really hard. Jane has an annual income barely reaching PhP 21,000 (less than US $500), despite all the hard work she is putting in. Her usual litany is “if only my husband was still alive.” Self-pity and lack of confidence to take part in community programs have long held her back from seeking opportunities to improve her family’s quality of life.

A year ago, Heifer Philippines and the Igorota Foundation, Inc. started a new project in the towns of Sabangan and Bauko. Supang village was selected as the main project site in Sabangan. Igorota Foundation has a very successful partnership with Heifer Philippines with an earlier project in two other villages in Sabangan, which are adjacent to Supang. Again, Jane was reluctant to join. It was only the persistent request from Norvy and Je-ann and the efforts of Igorota’s local community facilitator that convinced Jane to finally try it out. “At that time I told myself, free animal gifts and vegetable seeds in exchange for attending a seminar, I have nothing to lose,” Jane says. “Turned out, it was one of the wisest decisions I have ever made,” she said, with a very faint trace of a smile in her face.

Jane first attended the Cornerstones Workshop for participating families in the first quarter of 2011. “Things happened so fast in that workshop, I realized I have imprisoned myself all these years in self-pity and insecurities,” she says. “That was when I realized I should get out of my shell, develop my self confidence and this Heifer project is the perfect opportunity. Me and my neighbors are all learning together and we are committed to help each other.” Jane also attended other skills trainings, such as improving animal management, savings and loan management training, organic farming, values-based planning, and community-managed disaster risk reduction planning.

In July 2011, Jane finally received her gifts from Heifer and Igorota. “I received one gilt, fruit tree seedlings, assorted vegetable seeds (bitter gourd, string beans, eggplant and pechay) for kitchen gardening. She established her kitchen garden first, and started earning from them as early as September 2011. She earned almost a thousand pesos on bitter gourd alone in just three months. “I am very thankful for this Heifer Project. I have wallowed in self-pity for so long I missed out on opportunities like these,” she says.

In late December 2011, Jane’s gilt had her first farrowing and gave birth to eight piglets. She is now fattening seven piglets while one piglet was given to the boar’s owner as payment for boar breeding service. “My target is to earn gradually from my pigs,” Jane says. “Maybe 50,000 pesos (US $1,100) for this year.” Jane is planning to sell some — if not all seven piglets — by this March.

The biggest change in Jane since joining the project is how to overcome her shyness after years of insecurity and self-pity. “It was a difficult struggle at first, but I cannot allow myself anymore to live in the past. I am sure my husband would be happier the way I am now,” Jane shared with a deep sigh, which, it seems to be, a release from the emotional pain she had been nursing. “My husband is long gone, I cannot afford to also lose my children if I go on wallowing in self-pity. My children are my greatest treasures, and to these gifts from Heifer, they will help me nurture my treasures.”

Jane is evolving into a silent group leader for her self-help group, and she is one of the more dependable members of the group. What she cannot express in words she expresses in hard work and initiative. She readily accepts responsibilities for the group, strengthening her core accountability and the practice of sharing and caring and other principles of the cornerstones. In due time, Jane is sure she will make good progress as the project progresses.

“I am also deeply inspired by the stories of Heifer’s Golden Talent Awardees. I hope to be able to emulate their examples. For me, the only way to repay Heifer and Igorota Foundation is through sheer hard work to take care of the gifts and do justice to the opportunity they have given for poor families like us to break free from hunger and poverty,” she says. “Thank you Heifer International and all the donors who make these kind of projects a continuing success.”

Story Contribution by:


Jun Dom-oguen, Heifer international – Philippines, Program Officer for Northern Philippines
Marifee A. Lucaney, Facilitator, IGOROTA Project


Editor’s note: This post is the first from the Philippines in a new series that follows the progress of specific families, starting at the beginning of their work with Heifer. Initially, this series will focus on our programs in Asia/South Pacific, where our colleagues have chosen one family in each region in the countries where we work and will bring us quarterly updates.

African Worms Make Compost in the Philippines

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Jirnani Bedrijo displays worms she uses in her compost pile at her home in Los Arcos, Philippines. “Before we didn’t have much knowledge or skill, but after Heifer’s trainings we have more knowledge of animal management and feed formulation,” said Nakue. The Bedrijo’s received seven goats, vegetable seeds, fruit trees, farm tool and African night crawlers from Heifer International.

Photo by Russell Powell, courtesy of Heifer International

Give a Water Buffalo, the Tractor that Poops

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Known as “the living tractor of the East,” the water buffalo is used mostly for plowing and transportation by families in Asia. In addition to plowing, water buffalo also provide nutritious milk and organic fertilizer.

Photo by Russell Powell

The isolated village of Simbalan is among the poorest in the Philippines. Damiana and Danilo Ramos had finally saved up enough money to buy their own land, but they never could save enough for a large animal. That’s when Heifer gave them a water buffalo. The Ramos family estimates they can now plow and plant five times faster with the help of their water buffalo. And that means they have been able to more than double their income to about $2.77 per day by selling yams and a variety of fruits and vegetables.


Muscle
With a water buffalo, families can plant up to five times more crops than they would be able to plant by hand. More crops mean more food to eat and store at harvest time, and more left over to sell for extra income.

Biogas
An adult water buffalo can produce up to six tons of manure a year. For families that have biogas digesters, the methane gas released by the manure can be used to power cook stoves and lamps. Biogas stoves eliminate wood-burning stoves that lead to deforestation and can cause respiratory ailments.

Milk
The milk from a water buffalo is rich in nutrients. Buffalo milk is higher in calcium and protein than cow milk–two nutrients critical for growing bodies. Plus, the fats in buffalo milk make it ideal for processing into cheeses that also help build strong bones.

This holiday season, give the gift of a water buffalo to your college roommate, Corey, who was a beast and could bench press 300 pounds easy.

Heifer Works in 8 out of 10 Countries Most At Risk To Climate Change

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Heifer participant in Sierra Leone.

Haiti, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, Madagascar, Cambodia, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi and the Philippines. According to a report by the British risk analysis firm, Maplecroft, these 10 countries are at the most extreme risk for impacts caused by climate change.

According to a post on EarthSky:

Maplecroft analyzed the vulnerability of 193 countries to climate change impacts. They first evaluated the degree to which countries will be exposed to extreme weather events and other climate-related natural disasters. Next, the company assessed the ability of countries to cope with climate change impacts by evaluating factors such as governmental effectiveness, infrastructure capacity and the availability of natural resources.

The report makes it clear that it is mostly the poorest sections of society that will bear the brunt of climate change impacts. 

Of the 10 countries listed, Heifer works in all but two (Madagascar and DRC). Improving communities’ resilience to climate change and disaster is integrated into many of our projects, particularly those in high risk areas. Last month I posted about a project of ours in the Philippines that was in the midst of Community-Managed Disaster Risk Reduction training when torrential rains caused damaging floods, further stressing the importance of the training.

By working with small farmers to find the most environmentally sensitive and beneficial approaches to agriculture, we are doing our part to curb climate change while reducing the risks faced by our project communities. In fact, Heifer International’s East Africa Dairy Development Initiative was mentioned in a report titled “Achieving Food Security in the Face of Climate Change” as an example of how programs can address food security in the context of climate change.

If you’re interested in funding work in a country from this top-10 high-risk list, check out the Integrated Livestock Development Project in Sierra Leone, which focuses on a region of Sierra Leone facing rapid population growth, a high incidence of communicable diseases, and increased pressure on natural resources and physical infrastructure. By providing participants with opportunities to build livelihoods using sustainable farming practices, this project will strengthen the communities and the environment at the same time.

International Day for Disaster Reduction

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Today is International Day for Disaster Reduction, the purpose of which is “to raise the profile of disaster risk reduction and encourage people and governments to participate in building more resilient communities and nations.

In several of Heifer’s program countries, Community-Managed Disaster Risk Reduction (CMDRR) is an integral part of project design.

Elmer Maboloc (2nd from right) of the Social Action 
Center of the Diocese of Butuan facilitates the Hazard 
Vulnerability and Capacity Assessments during the 
CMDRR workshops, January 2011. (Photo by Jun Ayensa)

At the start of 2011, the Caraga Region in northeastern Mindano, Philippines, experienced continuous torrential rains. Effects included flooded thoroughfares, inundated rice fields, destroyed bridges, grounded transport services, landslides and other hazards. People evacuated to safer places, even as local governments and non-governmental organizations scrambled to provide relief operations. At the time of the disastrous rains, Heifer’s Southern Philippines Regional Program was in the midst of conducting a series of village-level CMDRR trainings.

The training series aims to capacitate communities to survive hazards and redue their vulnerabilities to hazard events, thus reducing disasters. These trainings are part of Heifer’s Increasing Resiliency to Climate Change through CMDRR Project, funded in part by the Canadian International Development Agency through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives.

The Sangay River in Buenavista, Agusan del Norte
obliterated a large part of the land during the floods in the
village in February 2011. Heifer participant families were
conducting the CMDRR workshop at the height of the
flood. (Photo by Jun Ayensa)

Training facilitators, consisting primarily of Community Facilitators of the seven Heifer project partners reported that at the end of the course, village participants developed a shared understanding of the concepts, principles and practices of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and understood the causes and effects of various hazards, including climate change. Experiencing flood hazards during the training series certainly focused the attention of the participants during the training.

They certainly developed and felt the sense of ownership of the CMDRR training and accountability to implement their plans. “We would rather be survivors than victims of these hazard events,” said one of the participating community leaders.

A key part of reducing communities’ vulnerability to disasters is increasing the overall resiliency of families within the communities. If you consider vulnerability and resiliency along a continuum, it could be described as this:

Group A–Highly Vulnerable
Don’t own land
Low level of education
Highly malnourished
May or may not have access to community land
Live in a remote location
Are on non-productive land
Can only meet their food needs through their own production for less than a year
May work as laborers
Often have men who must migrate to cities for work
Do not have access to support services such as financial and extension
Tend to adopt subsistence farming practices

Group B–More Secure, But Still Vulnerable to Disasters
May have small plots of land
Produce a small amount of surplus
Have enough food, but the food may not be nutritious enough
Vulnerable to external shocks
May be selling to local markets
May be organized (formally or informally)
Have informal savings
May have access to formal financing
Lack access to appropriate technologies
Have fewer men who migrate to cities

Group C–Resilient
Able to access formal markets
Have secure, productive land
Produce in a market-oriented way
Have organized cooperatives or associations
Are food secure
Have stable incomes
May do low-level processing of products
May have a household business
Are able to access and use support services such as financial and extension

By working with communities and families with training, education and livestock or other agricultural inputs, Heifer is helping families become resilient. For example, the Building a Sustainable Way of Life Project in the Piura region of Peru seeks to turn the threat of El Niño floods into a major opportunity for families living in Peru’s dry forest. During the wet years, the project will replant trees, bushes and pastures, build grain storage sheds, and improve housing conditions to protect against heavy rains. Communal wells will be improved, and equipment will be provided to ensure the availability and quality of water in wet years and dry. To protect the forest that is so central to livelihoods in the area, the project will implement the Communal Forest Management Plans in the five project communities to conserve and sustainably use the forest.

Heifer Philippines Project Families Lose Homes, Crops

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Heifer International staff in the Philippines is reported to be okay a day after Super Typhoon Megi struck the country. Country Director Hercules Paradiang reports the roof of one staff member’s house had to be repaired, but that all team members are accounted for in the wake of the worst storm the country has seen in years.

Super Typhoon Megi, which struck the Philippines on Monday, packed sustained winds of 140 miles per hour and gusts of 162 mph, felling trees and utility poles and cutting off power, phone and Internet services in many areas.

Information remains sketchy due to ongoing weather, Paradiang said, adding the country’s Office of Civil Defense is working toward a full damage assessment, but because of thick clouds, heavy rains and high winds, progress is moving slowly.

According to staff reports from the north, at least 103 Heifer partner families lost their house’s roofs and harvestable crops (rice and vegetables) were destroyed by the storm. Communication services in some areas are still down, so a full reporting isn’t possible at this time, but there are reports that in the Palanan area, where Heifer works, 90 percent of houses were lost or damaged, displacing more than 11,000 people. Additionally, the national food authority warehouse was damaged, leaving 4,000 bags of rice—of 6,000 in storage—unfit for consumption.

Initial reports of basic needs in the storm’s wake in the Philippines include food, clothes and water.

Forecasters predict Super Typhoon Megi will move toward Vietnam and China. Vietnam has already seen huge floods, which killed around 30 people. In China, Hainan has already been hit with huge rains, and Chinese officials have moved more than 140,000 people living along the coastal area to prevent high number of deaths.

Heifer International continues to communicate with staff in the Philippines and elsewhere in Southeast Asia to determine the safety and status of Heifer projects, staff and the families with whom we work. Updates will continue to be provided as they become available.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and the people of the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, China and all in the path of or affected by the storm.

[Image from Naval Maritime Forecast Center/Joint Typhoon Warning Center]