'Crying Won't Do Us Any Good': Typhoon Haiyan's Impact on CCT Clients in the Philippines

Article by Valerie Malabonga, a guest blogger for Five Talents and a long-time supporter of our partner organization in the Philippines, the Center for Community Transformation (CCT), is currently in the Philippines and visited some of CCT's staff and community partners affected by the typhoon.

Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines on Friday, November 8 and decimated entire provinces in its path with winds over 150 mph and tsunami-like waves. My family was scheduled to be in the Philippines from November 15-December 1, so I volunteered and was invited by the Center for Community Transformation (CCT), Five Talents’ partner in the Philippines, to visit the provinces of Iloilo and Capiz.

Twisted electric post in Estancia, Iloilo, it will take 4 months to completely restore power.

According to CCT staff, Dennis Monong, there are no casualties among their 3,762 community partners in Iloilo and Capiz, but 100% of the latter’s homes and microbusinesses were affected, and in most instances totally wiped out. The CCT staff’s homes and even CCT’s office in Capiz were likewise damaged by Haiyan.


The roof is all that is left of a house in in Estancia, Iloilo.

I joined the CCT and Tammy Wang, EndPoverty.com staff for two days as they travelled around Iloilo and Capiz providing solar-powered lamps cum cell phone chargers, flashlights and batteries to the CCT staff and food, medicines and hygiene items to their community partners.



CCT staff (in green) and Valerie (in blue) prepare to give relief goods to members of Fellowship 8 in Roxas City, Capiz.


Pastor Albert Butalon gives an encouraging message and prays for CCT community partners before the relief distribution.

Despite all their losses, both the CCT staff and the community partners are in good spirits. As the community partners in Fellowship 8 told me: “Crying won’t do us any good.” Nonetheless, they need to get their microenterprises up and running soon so they can take care of their families. As Remylyn Anisco, Coordinator of Fellowship 33, Capiz commented: “We are very thankful for the relief goods from CCT but our fishermen need to get new boats and nets so they can fish for life.”
You can donate to CCT through the Five Talents’ website: http://www.fivetalents.org or the joint website here of our four US-based NGO partners of CCT: http://philippines.causevox.com/

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