Global Communities’ Response to Typhoon Haiyan

In the week since Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines and devastated the lives and livelihoods of thousands of Filipino communities, many aid agencies have responded to bring immediate relief to vulnerable and affected communities.

Global Communities is not a “first-responder.” On occasions, Global Communities has been part of the immediate response to a disaster – such as in the Haiti earthquake and during conflicts in Gaza – but these are the exceptions, where we have staff, resources and infrastructure already in place and are uniquely qualified to bring immediate assistance to the communities who have been hardest hit. In most cases, Global Communities specializes in the early recovery or “transitional” phase. This means we focus on longer-term shelter solutions and restarting livelihoods, as affected communities begin the recovery process back to their normal lives.

This is our approach to the situation in the Philippines after Typhoon Haiyan. Global Communities has sent out an experienced team to assess the situation and begin preparations for a recovery period. Our team is focused on shelter, as well as restarting livelihoods to ensure people have a sustainable means of income to support their families.

Alongside shelter and livelihoods, we will also look at needs in water and sanitation, protection of vulnerable residents, marketplace reconstruction and other essential needs that are too often neglected after a disaster. Global Communities always coordinates with the national government, UN system, USAID/OFDA and other NGOs and donors working in an emergency response and transition setting.

Our shelter expertise dates back to Hurricane Mitch in Central America in 1998, and our structures have been adapted and used by the Red Cross worldwide. They have proven to be among the most durable in Haiti, and many of the models we have developed have been successfully adapted into long-term homes.

Our shelter work also takes into consideration the role of host communities and land tenure, and we take a comprehensive, neighborhood-based approach, where we consider the role of the community, infrastructure, protection, water and sanitation, and market access in our development of transitional housing.

Learn more about our work in humanitarian assistance.

Learn more about our work in Haiti through this Washington Post article.

Learn more about our work in Indonesia after the 2004 Tsunami and the Jogjakarta earthquake.