After celebrating Thanksgiving with his family on Thursday, World Renew volunteer, Bernie Schaaf will pack his bags and head to the Philippines to be part of World Renew’s disaster response to Typhoon Haiyan.
The Tinley Park, Illinois man is one of twenty-seven International Relief Managers (IRMs) who serve with World Renew. These IRMs play a significant role in some of World Renew’s disaster response projects. They manage details, build the capacity of local partners and staff, and provide an extra managerial hand to ensure effective and efficient disaster response work.
Typhoon Haiyan brought extreme devastation to many regions of the Philippines. Though the typhoon struck the country on November 8th, many needs remain unmet several weeks later. This includes needs for food, shelter, livelihood recovery and essential community services.
Currently 4,000 families (1,000 in Panay, 1,000 in Samar and 2,000 in Leyte islands) are receiving food assistance and temporary shelter and hygiene items.
World Renew is blessed to have a strong partner with extensive experience in disaster response already in the country – the Christian Reformed Church of the Philippines (CRCP). Together, World Renew and CRCP are responding to the needs listed in seven municipalities of three of the islands hardest hit by the Typhoon. Currently 4,000 families (1,000 in Panay, 1,000 in Samar and 2,000 in Leyte islands) are receiving food assistance and temporary shelter and hygiene items.
Bernie Schaaf, who has served with World Renew since 2010, will specifically be focused on the response in Guiuan Municipality of Samar Island.
Schaaf will be working with local staff to set up an office, survey communities, and assess unmet needs in order to set the strategy for World Renew’s next phase of recovery and rehabilitation projects. He will also hire key staff members to help World Renew and the CRCP move from this emergency response work to the recovery phase over the next few months. In addition, Schaaf will oversee an upcoming program to provide trauma counseling services to people in these affected communities.
Schaaf has previously served in the Turkana region of Kenya as part of World Renew’s East Africa drought response in 2011. There, he worked with the local team to implement Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) initiatives in several communities.
“It is an honour to be part of what God is doing to respond to the needs of the people of the Philippines. I am humbled that he has chosen me for this work and I ask for your prayers to work effectively as I help implement World Renew’s response, there” Schaaf said. “I am also grateful to my wife, for taking care of things at home which enables me to serve in this way.”
Earlier this week, another IRM couple – Harry and Annie Bergshoeff, from Mississauga, Ontario – also travelled to the Philippines. They are performing similar functions as Schaaf but for the response on Leyte Island.
World Renew is grateful for these talented and dedicated IRM professionals who enable World Renew to enhance its disaster response work.