“When the destruction is over, kindness begins”. This is one of the slogans used by the Commission for Social and Ecological Affairs of the Augustinian Recollects in the Philippines. The destruction left behind by Typhoon Haiyan this past November 8 was tremendous, but the ensuing solidarity was also great.
At the time, Augustinian Recollects were already demobilized, facing issues related to the earthquake that had hit the island of Bohol three weeks earlier, on October 15. The new disaster triggered a solidarity campaign within the Order promoted by superiors, with Prior General, Miguel Miró, at the head.
Bank Accounts and Funds
Two bank accounts were opened to channel aid at the General Curia in Rome:
FOR FUNDS RAISED IN EUROS
Holder: Curia Generalizia. Fondo sociale.
Iban IT 50 X 02008 05134 000101559404
Swift UNCRITM1731
FOR FUNDS RAISED IN DOLLARS
Holder: Curia Generalizia degli Agostiniani Recolletti
Iban: IT 63 S 02008 05134 000102931360
Swift: UNCRITM1731
Poster of the Hearthaus program As a result, to date, a total of about € 200,000 have been raised. This is an amount that represents everyone in the Recollect world: from the bishops, to the religious and fraternities, as well as schools and parishes and formation houses in Europe and America. The amount also encompasses spontaneous donations and collections, which for the most part of the ministries, have been conducted among the faithful. Other large sums come from the institutions making up the Order: provinces and vicariates.
Phase One: Basic Aid Packages
During the first moments of the emergency aid was directed to survival needs, namely food and clothing. Help was largely channeled through the Order’s large education centers, and Cebu and Bacolod Universities. The University of San José (USJ-Recoletos) in Cebu distributed 17,364 food parcels each at a cost of about 3 to 4 euros. The Development Department of Negros Occidental University (UNO-Recoletos), separately distributed another 15,980 food parcels with basic staples and over 2,307 bags of clothing. In addition, another 20,245 lots of aid were distributed through different means.
All of this has entailed massive volunteer training and related organization and logistics – in addition to collaborating with other external organizations such as Caritas Manila.
Phase Two: Rehabilitation
House in construction Soon thereafter, the world’s media stopped talking about Typhoon Haiyan. Phase two was setting in, the phase of silence, and one that could easily turn into obscurity. To avoid this, organization became critical. The Commission for Social and Ecological Issues set up a campaign titled HeartAnonymous, establishing rehabilitation as their objective.
This rehabilitation is about communities, including families and towns, and to truly achieve it, the Commission sets forth three different fronts: Chapels (HeartChapels), Houses (HeartHaus), and Schools (HeartSchool).
Chapels has now rebuilt five, and another 25 are scheduled in different parishes and dioceses throughout the islands of Negros and Cebu. Generally speaking, these are rural communities who contribute with labor, while the Order provides necessary materials and structures.
The Commission’s HeartSchool Program is carried out in collaboration with the Philippines Association of Major Religious Superiors and seeks to purchase school supplies for children in remote areas affected by the typhoon. To date this has been commissioned to students, faculty, and UNO-R staff in Bacolod.
“Family and Home go Together”
The other program, HeartHaus, is especially complex, and the Commission participates in it with particular diligence. To date, 23 houses have been repaired whenever the option was feasible. But for the most part, homes were literally washed away, so technicians from the Recollect universities designed a 15.6 square meter home, considered sufficient to accommodate a family of five. The house consists of a steel structure with plywood panels, at a value amounting to €1,300 and the Commission has already committed 10. This is another aspect where there is collaboration with other local or international organizations. Families in greatest need are found through the respective parishes.
In this task, Augustinian Recollects have felt particularly motivated by the words improvised by Pope Francis this past December 22, during the Angelus:
“Today, I think of so many homeless families, either because they’ve never had a home, or because they’ve lost theirs for so many reasons. Family and home go together. It is very difficult to forge a family ahead without living in a house.”
And they enthusiastically heard his invitation:
“During these days of Christmas, I invite all people, social institutions, authorities, to do everything possible so that every family can have a home.”