Salvador de la Cruz and his seven children have been sleeping huddled together under a sun shelter, a simple awning with no walls, since Typhoon Frank hit the Philippines, leaving the family homeless.
But in just a few weeks they will be one of 10 families in the Kalibo district to move into a brand new home built with support from AmeriCares.
AmeriCares has awarded nearly $15,000 to the Order of Malta, a partner organization, for the rebuilding project. The grant will be used to purchase building materials for at least 20 new homes and make repairs to 80 dwellings.
The storm, also known as Typhoon Fengshen, killed hundreds and destroyed nearly 86,000 homes when it made landfall in the Philippines in late June. In the Aklan Province alone, where the de la Cruz family lives, more than 3,600 homes were destroyed and nearly 7,000 houses sustained damage.
Staff Photo
This woman, who has a disabled son and five other children, will receive a new home built with construction materials supplied by AmeriCares.
The Order of Malta worked with volunteers from local churches to identify the neediest recipients from a pool of 1,300 candidates. A woman with a disabled son and five other children living in a home badly damaged by the fierce winds was also selected for the program.
Shelly Malhotra, AmeriCares partnership manager for Asia, was in the Philippines recently. She was astounded to find people still living in evacuation centers, makeshift shelters and homes with caved in roofs more than a month after the disaster.
“About 20 percent of the homes we saw were destroyed and yet, sadly, people were still living in them,” Malhotra said. “AmeriCares is helping them rebuild their homes and their lives.”
The construction, which will begin later this month, is expected to be completed by September.
The rebuilding project is part of AmeriCares comprehensive response to the typhoon, which also included a shipment of fleece blankets and water purification treatments for survivors.
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