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Construction is underway in the Philippines where a deadly typhoon killed hundreds and left thousands homeless in June.
AmeriCares awarded a cash grant to the Order of Malta, a local partner organization, to help rebuild homes washed away by the storm. The grant will be used to purchase building materials for at least 20 new homes and make repairs to 80 dwellings.
Typhoon Frank destroyed thousands of homes when it made landfall in the Philippines in late June. More than 3,600 homes were destroyed and nearly 7,000 houses sustained damage in the Alkon Province alone.
Staff Photo
Salvador de la Cruz in front of the shelter where his family has been living since losing their home.
The Order of Malta worked with volunteers from local churches in order to identify the families in most need from a pool of 1,300 candidates. Salvador de la Cruz, a fish vendor and father of seven who moved his family into a sun shelter—a simple awning with no walls—will be one of the recipients. 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 this summer. 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 is expected to be completed this month.
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