How Are the Children?

It was a scene reminiscent of last year’s Typhoon Washi: women and children weeping in silence and men who were in shock. On Monday, December 3rd, Typhoon Bopha battered the southern Philippines until early Tuesday morning, leaving behind a trail of devastation that particularly affected children.

“We didn’t know what a typhoon was until we were hit,” says Veruela Municipal Social Welfare and Development officer Elvira Dagaraga, shedding tears as she recalls the experience. “Never in my 30 years of living here had we experienced such a thing.”

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Hjælp til Filippinerne

Rundt omkring i verden har vi netop taget hul på et nyt år, og mange ser forventningsfulde frem til, hvad året mon vil bringe. Men for 7-årige Anna fra Filippinerne er der ikke meget håb eller glæde at spotte.

Som så mange andre filippinske familier blev Anna og hendes familie fanget i den voldsomme tyfon Bopha, som ramte Fillippinerne i starten af december. Da familiens hus kollapsede, bragte Annas far den kun 7-årige pige i sikkerhed på en bakketop, hvor naboerne også havde søgt tilflugt. Herefter forsøgte faderen at redde Annas mor og bedstemor i sikkerhed. Men da han rakte armen ud for at hjælpe de to kvinder op på bakketoppen, ramte et stykke flyvende metal kvinderne, som ulykkeligvis døde på stedet. Midt i den kraftige vind og intense regn brød Annas far sammen i sorg.

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Additional Funding Needed in the Wake of Bopha

After Bopha made landfall over the Baganga municipality of Mindanao’s Davao Oriental region on December 4th, it tracked across the island through Compostela Valley, crossing over to Negros Oriental on the island of Negros.

In the aftermath of the typhoon, roads, bridges, telecommunications, and electrical and water systems have been negatively impacted.

As of December 23rd, 6,243,998 people in 711,682 families have been impacted by the storm. In total, 1,067 people have been confirmed killed, 2,666 have been injured, and 841 people are missing. In addition, the typhoon has destroyed over 66,469 homes and has damaged over 178,704. As a result of the devastation, 985,000 people have been displaced from their homes.

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Family Vows to Overcome Typhoon Troubles

Cousins Judith and Judiza Sevilla thought it was just going to be a quick shower; little did they know it was the beginning of Typhoon Bopha.

“We slept through it thinking that it was just another storm and it would soon be over,” said 20-year old Judith.

But after an hour, the gushing winds and continuous rain woke them up at their home in Monkayo, a bustling municipality in the north of Compostela Valley province in eastern Mindanao island, about 750 miles southeast of the capital Manila.

“The wind was very strong and the rain was very loud. I knew it was far from the usual,” said Judiza, 18.

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Tough Times for Young Mothers in the Wake of Bopha

After Typhoon Bopha, known locally in the Philippines as Pablo, relief supplies have been slow to get to affected communities in Mindanao and villagers in some parts have taken to blocking the roads to beg passers-by for food, clothing and shelter.

All along the coast, children beg on the side of the road with hands outstretched. "It’s a difficult time to be a mother with a young baby," says 21-year-old Adora Quirante, mother of six-month-old Aj from San Antonio in Cateel municipality.

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Children Stuggle to Deal with Typhoon Aftermath

“At night when I sleep, I suddenly wake. In my dreams, I visit the nightmare of the people I saw being hurt,” says 12-year-old Alyza Grace. 

Alyza making the attempt to come to terms with what Typhoon Bopha did to her community in Davao Oriental which is located about 590 miles southeast of Manila.

When Bopha ripped through the Philippines earlier this month with winds of up to 162 mph, it unleashed the kind of destruction not seen in those parts for 100 years. Entire communities were destroyed and more than 1,000 people have been confirmed dead.

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Children need shelter and protection after Typhoon Bopha

Plan is helping families piece their lives back together after Typhoon Bopha coursed across the Philippines. About 300,000 people in Davao Oriental on Mindanao have been affected by the typhoon, known locally as Pablo, which ripped through communities with winds of up to 160 mph.

“This typhoon has come right at the end of the Pacific Storm Season, but there are days when it is still raining. Of the houses that are still standing in affected communities, the majority don't have roofs, so homes are open to the elements and it’s harder for families to recover,” says Carin van de Hor, Country Director of Plan Philippines.

Some people are beginning to rebuild their homes, but not everyone has the money or resources to do this. Plan is distributing tarpaulins to families in need so that they can at least cover the gaping holes where their roofs used to be.

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Filippinerne ramt af tyfon

En alvorlig tyfon har ramt børn og familier i Filippinerne. Mindst 275 mennesker har mistet livet, mens 339 er kommet til skade. Indtil videre har 170.000 børn og voksne været tvunget til at forlade deres hjem.

Plan uddeler rent drikkevand, mad og medicin til de ramte familier. Samtidig assisterer vi med psykosocial støtte og undervisningsmaterialer.

Plans landedirektør i Filippinerne, Carin van der Hor, siger:

”Vores næste fokus er at beskytte børnene og deres forældre og sørge for, at de hurtigt kan vende tilbage til en normal hverdag. Vi støtter også lokalsamfundene i at forberede sig på naturkatastrofer som denne. Katastrofeberedskab kan udgøre hele forskellen, når det værste sker,” siger hun.

Derfor arbejder Plan med børn, lokalsamfund og myndigheder, så de lærer at identificere risikoen for en katastrofe og styrke deres modstandsdygtighed.

Plan swings into action as parents go in search of missing children

275 people have been killed as a result of the powerful typhoon that slammed the Philippines in the early morning of Tuesday 4 December, while 339 people have been confirmed injured. The number of people displaced currently sits at almost 170,000 people across 372 evacuation centres as officials fear more bodies may be found as rescuers reach hard-hit areas that have been isolated by landslides, floods and downed communications. Many children are also currently missing, after flash flooding hit vehicles they were attempting to evacuate in.

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Plan supports families in storm-hit Philippines

Plan is on the ground in the Philippines assessing its impact and supporting families, following landfall by Typhoon Bhopa.

Typhoon Bopha battered the island of Mindanao yesterday (Tuesday) with winds of up to 130mph.

The deathtoll has risen to 238 as huge amounts of rain triggered mudslides in remote villages.

“There are also hundreds of people missing,” says Plan’s country director in the Philippines, Carin Van Der Hor. “As many as 250 or 300 depending on who you speak to.”

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Philippines hit by Typhoon Bopha

Plan staff and emergency relief supplies are on standby in areas likely to be affected by a powerful typhoon that has just hit the southern Philippines.

Typhoon Bopha – known locally as Pablo – struck the island of Mindanao early this morning, with heavy rain and winds of 130 mph. It is now expected to sweep across southern and central provinces.

The storm comes just as the people of Mindanao are recovering from typhoon Sedong, which left 1,245 dead and more than US$47 million in damage one year ago.

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Young people from the Philippines in international online debate

Members of a Plan Philippines school team took part in an international online debate on 'safe schools' on 13th November.They learned about Disaster Risk Reduction in school through training sessions run by Plan and have since formed a 'texter clan': a group of schoolmates who relay warning messages via SMS to friends in high-risk rural areas when danger threatens. This has proved a life-saver. The islands are prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity and are plagued by around 22 typhoons a year.

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Hjælp til filippinske piger

Filippinerne bliver mange piger helt ned til 10 års alderen ofre for seksuel udnyttelse. Faktisk udgør pigerne 99 % af de seksuelt misbrugte børn. Samtidig er risikoen for, at pigerne udsættes for menneskehandel, børnearbejde, prostitution og hiv/aids-smitte langt større end for drengenes vedkommende, og mange piger ender med at blive gravide som teenagere.

I 2008 startede Plan i Filippinerne et projekt, der skulle give pigerne en ekstra hånd. Målet var især at forhindre, at børn og kvinder blev udsat for menneskehandel. Samtidig blev der sørget for støtte til ofrene for menneskehandel, så de kunne vende tilbage til deres familier og lokalsamfund.  
Plakater, radioreklamer, teater, tegneserier og information blev anvendt i kampagnen, og krisecentre blev opført. På den måde var der et sted, hvor kvinderne kunne få behandling og støtte, heriblandt psykosocial rådgivning og uddannelsesvejledning.

Både piger og drenge har efterfølgende fået viden og forståelse for menneskerettighederne. I 174 landsbyer er børn og voksne blevet undervist i menneskehandel, børnebeskyttelse, ligestilling og lovgivning på området. Fire krisecentre er blevet stablet på benene og håndterer i dag ofre for menneskehandel, misbrug og udnyttelse.

Hvis du også synes, at piger har fortjent en plads på skolebænken og ikke på gaden, så giv din hånd til pigerne her:
http://www.facebook.com/plangirls/app_318685631559881 

Real choices, real lives, real girls: del 2

When it comes to rights like gender equality and universal education, the study is revealing some very encouraging developments.

Some quotes from the girls and their families, about the importance of education for girls:

“I want to be a teacher when I grow up and I like to wash plates and bowls and help my mum collect firewood.”Chhea, aged 6, Cambodia

“My parents cannot read and write. They didn’t receive any formal education. My mother forced me to give up school in order to assist my elder sister who delivered a baby in Cotonou. It affected me and I never forgot it.”Marcelle’s mother, Benin

“Whenever she comes back from school she repeats wonderfully all that she has learned. This is a source of pride for the family.”Maridiyatou’s mother, Togo

"A girl should be given priority to study because there’s a better chance girls will graduate.”Edwina’s father, the Philippines

All 142 girls in the study should be starting school this year. We wish them the best, and will continue to follow them until 2015, the year the Millennium Development Goals are set to be achieved.

Want to learn more about the study, and meet 8 of the girls participating? Click here to read the report, and to explore our interactive map, focusing on 8 girls in different countries.

Oversvømmelser i Filippinerne

To millioner børn og familier er lige nu ramt af voldsomme oversvømmelser i Manila, Filippinerne. 16 mennesker har mistet livet, mens syv personer fortsat er savnet.

Katastrofen skyldes, at hovedstaden inden for 48 timer er ramt af samme regnmængde, som normalt falder på en måned. Floder er løbet over deres bredder, og hele kvarterer står lige nu under vand.

Børn og deres familier mangler mad, vand og tøj. Plan er til stede. Vi følger situationen tæt og er klar til at hjælpe. Sidste år nåede vi ud til tusindvis af børn og voksne, da Filippinerne blev ramt af en omfattende tyfon.

Vandet er heldigvis begyndt at trække sig tilbage fra Manila, og varslinger om yderligere regn er ligeledes trukket tilbage.

Hårdt arbejde der betaler sig: del 1

Plan International arbejder i mere end 58.000 lokalsamfund i 68 lande over hele verden. Takket være din støtte, hjælper vores programmer med at løfte hele lokalsamfund ud af fattigdom og med at give børn og familier de færdigheder og den træning de behøver for at forbedre deres liv. 

Nødsituationer: elever på Filippinerne øver sig på at evakuere under en nødsituations øvelse. Plan arbejder med lokale embedsmænd for sikre, at eleverne ved hvordan de skal reagere i tilfælde af en katastrofe.

Børne sikkerhed: i et Plan støttet program i Bangladesh, kan kvinder og piger lære karate og selvforsvar, for at sikre at piger kan forsvare sig, hvis de skulle blive konfronteret med truende situationer.

Vand og sanitet: Plan fremmer aktivt programmer med fokus på vand, sanitet og hygiejne. I Laos forbedrer lokalsamfund deres hånd vaskefaciliteter - en enkel måde at forhindre spredning af sygdomme.