MANILA, Philippines - They held hands as they made their way through fallen trees, knocked down concrete, and mud.
“We were walking, hugging each other, we couldn’t recognize our home, we didn’t know where to go. But even then, we said, ‘Thank you, we are all alive’,” recalled Maria Lina Lapitan, a resident of Barangay Tambulilid in Ormoc City. In her city alone, at least 64,000 families lost their homes when the typhoon hit.
Meanwhile, in Manila, as news of the devastation poured in, Human Nature employees and advocates gathered to find a way to help survivors in any way they could. Together, they launched Goodness Rising on December 7, 2013.
A partnership between Human Nature and Gawad Kalinga (GK), Goodness Rising aimed to raise at least P15 million, enough to build 100 homes. A number of Human Nature employees decided to pledge all or part of their bonuses, overtime pay, food allowances, incentives and even next year’s salary increases to Goodness Rising. Small fund-raising activities and events were also held.
A year later, good intentions came into fruition as Human Nature turned over 86 homes to residents of Barangay Tambulilid in Ormoc City. The remaining 14 homes are set to be turned over before June 2015. Classes have resumed at the barangay’s Sibol School, which is attended by at least 25 pre-schoolers. The Human Nature Children’s Park, which fronts the community’s new multi-purpose hall, serves as a safe space for the children to play in.
In a city where thousands still await permanent housing, communities like the GK Human Nature Village in Tambulilid have become safe havens. When typhoon Ruby made landfall in Visayas last month, residents from neighboring barangays fled to the newly-built GK Villages.
In the past, 66-year-old Monica Ariño shared, she’d stay up all night when the weather was bad because her house used to be made of light materials. “In a way, we are thankful that Yolanda happened. Though we lost everything, there was something better waiting for us,” she said.
Known for communities filled with bright and colorful row houses, GK’s upgraded standard house design is a product of years of building communities and has been calibrated to withstand climatic challenges.
According to Dan Bercasio, GK operations head, GK adheres to laws and regulations covering socialized housing projects such as Batas Pambansa 220 and existing Philippine Building Codes.
GK helps create disaster-resilient communities by fostering the community spirit andcreating a culture of sharing. Each GK community is linked with their local government so they can be part of wider efforts for disaster preparedness. A community-based disaster preparedness program – a component of the overall disaster preparedness andresponse program of GK – is also in the works.
Human Nature and Gawad Kalinga are now building houses for another community of Yolanda survivors. Soon, 20 fisher folk families in Cadiz Viejo, Negros Occidental will be living in safer homes.
For more information about Goodness Rising, visit www.humanheartnature.com/buy or call 224-2223.