It is so amazing to see the transformation that has taken place.
Earlier this year, I had the great pleasure of travelling to the Philippines and attending community organized closing ceremonies in Tacloban (Leyte) and Guiuan (Samar) in March 2016, and in Estancia (Panay) in June 2016.
At most of the ceremonies there were speeches, a time of prayer, eating, karaoke and dancing; a lot of fun and happiness all around. Across all the barangays, I heard comments like “Where would we be if it hadn’t been for World Renew?” and “We will never forget World Renew. You never left us.”
In Camote, Capitana (Village Leader) Lolita was in tears as she listed all the support that World Renew had provided. Hearing all of the projects strung together, it reminded me of the impact that we’ve had.
With 1,571 new latrines constructed, communities were now showing great pride in being declared Zero Open Defecation (ZOD). In Capitana Lolita’s words, “now no one will defecate outside. Just before Yolanda [Haiyan], not every house had a comfort room (Filipino term for toilet) but because of World Renew, all do now. There were less people who could afford to have one, but now they have received one and even in concrete.”
On this visit, I was able to visit communities where we constructed typhoon resistant houses and new latrines.
One of the most heartwarming things that came out in my discussions with people at these closing ceremonies was the impact of World Renew’s response on the community spiritually.
I was struck by the level of pride that families have for their new homes. 
Some houses were painted and expanded, with the addition of a porch or a side kitchen. In Guiuan, I saw one home that was even tiling their porch, as they often live outside during hot weather.
Thanks to the construction design, houses were even strong enough to withstand Typhoon Ruby that landed in December 2014.
During the closing ceremony in Guiuan, Capitan Victor, from barangay Dalaragan, said: “If not for World Renew, until now we would still be living in temporary or makeshift shelter.”
The last day of my March trip, I visited Capitana Melba from Barangay 89 in Tacloban. I remember her particularly from the very first distribution I attended on November 30th, 2013, seventeen days after the typhoon struck. At that time, she had been only recently elected as the Barangay Capitana and wasn’t set to begin her new role until after the new government was inaugurated in December. As many past officials were evacuating to Manila or Cebu after the typhoon, leaving their devastated communities behind, Capitana Melba stepped into her position early. She was fully committed to serving her community in one of the most devastated locations. When we first worked together to verify beneficiaries in her village, her face was strained. Every family we listed reminded her of the number of people who had died in her community.
This day, though, her face was beaming and she was full of smiles. So much has happened since our first meeting to help change her community. She said of all the organizations that came to help following Typhoon Haiyan, only World Renew has stayed with them and made a point of working with their village council. They were appreciative that World Renew made efforts to know the community and to know what other assistance they were receiving, to not overlap.
In June, I visited Estancia, Panay, for more closing ceremonies. The Barangay Capitan, Venus Clariza, and village council members made speeches thanking World Renew for the work we’ve done. Recounting all the projects that been undertaken, they were so thankful for World Renew’s commitment to their community. Over and over it was said that if not for World Renew their houses would still be broken. They were also incredibly grateful for the latrines that were built. They acknowledged that World Renew was an instrument of God.
One of the most heartwarming things that came out in my discussions with people at these closing ceremonies was the impact of World Renew’s response on the community spiritually.
For example, before Haiyan, there was no church in Paon, a village in Panay, but the Christian Reformed Church of the Philippines (CRCP) had a desire to plant one. Now, there is an emerging church that meets regularly on Sundays and mid-week.
In Estancia, one of the performances in the closing program was the youth singing “Shout to the Lord” strongly and joyfully with Pastor Dean, a CRCP Pastor of Mission and Evangelism, playing guitar. The barangay Capitan’s wife shared how important it is for the youth to know God better.
On another occasion while in Manila, I had the privilege of joining a ladies fellowship in which I met a woman who had been helped in a previous response to Typhoon Washi by World Renew and the Christian Reformed Church of the Philippines. She is now a follower of Jesus, regularly attending a church.
In addition to community members being affected, World Renew staff were growing spiritually as well. With daily devotions, they said they now know the Bible better and are reading it. The work of World Renew has extended beyond meeting the very real physical needs, to addressing spiritual needs. From the seeds of our deeds, lives have been changed for eternity.
A big thanks goes to the CRCP’s Disaster Response team who started all this, to the International Relief Managers who helped open up the World Renew offices, and to Jeff Cosico and Mona Saroinsong who managed the programs (Jeff in Panay, Mona in Leyte/Samar). The successful Haiyan response and transformation couldn’t have been done without all of their work and dedication to World Renew and to the people of the Philippines.
Blessings,
Grace Wiebe
Senior Project Manager
International Disaster Response & Rehabilitation
