Mi-HANDs Emergency Response Update No. 7

Theme : Mindanao Solidarity for Typhoon Yolanda Survivors Preparing for the next stage of intervention – Early Recovery

As the volunteers of Mi-HANDs plan to embark to the next higher stage of intervention, they have decided to capacitate themselves through inputs and activities.

Inputs and discussions have been launched to enrich the volunteers’ understanding of Early Recovery (ER) stage. ER is a multi-dimensional process and should be guided by our framework and development principles. Taking into consideration on the pre-disaster economic marginalization and political alienation of the people in the areas directly hit by the Super Typhoon Yolanda (STY), the Mi HANDs volunteers will try to implement the ER stage with the following in mind: that ER is not only about rebuilding lives and economy or help in the restoration of the communities back to pre-disaster lives. It is about rebuilding society with less social and economic inequities and the oppressive system that make communities vulnerable to natural and manmade disasters.

ER occurs in parallel with our existing humanitarian activities but it’s objected mechanisms and expertise are different. ER aims to: augment on-going humanitarian assistance operations, supports spontaneous recovery initiatives by the affected communities and helps establish foundation for longer-term recovery.

The capacitation of Mi-HANDs volunteers will include Early Needs Assessment (ENA) training, planning and resource mobilization for recovery that takes into account the different needs, resources and vulnerabilities of women, children and the old people, helps in the building and strengthening of the civil society organizations, rebuilding of livelihoods and integration of emergency shelters, transitional shelters and permanent shelters.

The immediate plan is to send a 4-person delegation to Ormoc City and Leyte to re-establish contact with the previous support groups there and start to look for physical headquarters. Selection of the 3-4 Barangays will also be done by the delegation. Preparing for the site where one can have the medical mission of medical professionals will be conducted. Basic profiling of the identified Barangays will also be done by the delegation.

The delegation will leave at the earliest time possible like after Christmas and before the New Year.

Meanwhile, schedule for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and documentation will be launched in Mindanao. Trainors’ training for advance Oriental Medicine will also be conducted.

With this update, we want to share the reflections of some of the volunteers who went with the emergency relief operation [1].

Mi-HANDs

To send donations

Donations to Mi-HANDs campaign for Yolanda victims can be sent through the association Europe solidaire sans frontières (ESSF, Europe in solidarity without borders).

Cheques
cheques to ESSF in euros only, payable in France, to be sent to:
ESSF
2, rue Richard-Lenoir
93100 Montreuil
France

Bank Account:
Crédit lyonnais
Agence de la Croix-de-Chavaux (00525)
10 boulevard Chanzy
93100 Montreuil
France
ESSF, account number 445757C

International bank account details :
IBAN : FR85 3000 2005 2500 0044 5757 C12
BIC / SWIFT : CRLYFRPP
Account holder : ESSF

Through PayPal
You can send money through Paypal: see the PayPal button on the upper left side of ESSF home page [English version of Paypal form is on the English Home page].