Dulag, Leyte—She dreams of nothing but a safe home for her five children. But even before it is realized, Typhoon Yolanda has already taken it away.

Lorna Fondavela, 38, is a beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program since 2011.

If there is one thing she is thankful for the program, apart from the cash grants that they receive for her children’s health and education, it is learning the importance of having a secure home for her family. Hence, she made sure to build a better home for her growing children.

“Pinag-ipunan talaga naming mag-asawa na bumili ng 26 pirasong yero para makumpleto na ang pinapagawa naming bahay, pero wala na akong nagawa nang makitang isa-isang tinatangay ng hangin ang mga materyales (We saved money to buy 26 pieces of galvanized iron sheets to complete the roof of the house that we are building, but we were unable to prevent the typhoon from blowing these away),” shared Lorna as she recalled that moment in November when  ‘Yolanda’ hit them.

However, despite such predicament, her dreams for her family stood strong and she finds ways to make it happen.

Lessons learned from FDS

A day after the typhoon, everything was a mess. It was hard to move around as debris was everywhere. Lorna was emotionally downtrodden with what had happened to their house. However, Lorna was inspired to start cleaning their surroundings when she saw that her townmates were helping one another to put things in order.

“Noon ko lang nakita na ang mga kalalakihan ay lumuha at nagtulungan. Mula sa pagsisigurong sama-sama kaming ligtas habang humahagupit si ‘Yolanda’ hanggang sa pagbangon naming muli, nakita ko ang pagtutulungan sa aming barangay (It was the first time that I saw the men cried. But I also saw how people in the barangay worked together to ensure that everyone is safe and moving forward after the typhoon),” she said.

She remembered what was taught to them during their monthly Family Development Sessions (FDS), a gathering of parent –beneficiaries of Pantawid Pamilya where they discuss parenting and homelife.

“Hindi lang kahandaan sa mga disaster ang tinuro sa amin sa FDS, pati kung ano ang gagawin pagkatapos. Sabi sa amin, magtulungan. Tulungan ang pamilyang makabangon at tumulong din sa kapwa ( FDS did not only teach us disaster preparedness, it also taught us what to do after.  Our leaders said that we should also help others rise), “ she added.

Lorna  recalled how she shared her crops, mostly papayas, to her neighbors so they can also feed their families.

In return, a neighbor also gave her a pot of cooked rice.

“Para kaming naging magkakapatid. Nagtulong-tulong kaming lahat para bumangon. Kung meron mang magandang dinala si ‘Yolanda’ dito sa amin, yun ay ang pagbabago dito sa aming komunidad. Naging mas maganda ang samahan naming lahat dito (We were like one family. We helped each other to rise. If there is one good thing that ‘Yolanda’ did to us, it improved our relationship in the community),” Lorna added.

Getting up again

Her family’s only source of livelihood is selling fish. However, after the typhoon, no one wanted to buy fish, thus, they had no income. It was through the help of Lorna’s neighbors and various organizations that made them through.

Lorna added that they used the cash grants to rebuild their home and to start a small sari-sari store.

Lorna is also thankful that her family received an additional P1,300 cash assistance through the partnership of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the United Nations World Food Programme (UN-WFP). They also received other financial support from private organizations.

Though she is overwhelmed by the number of help coming in, Lorna said that they do not rely on them completely.

“Marami pang mas nasalanta dito sa Leyte na baka mas nangangailangan pa ng tulong. Naiintindihan namin na hindi lang kami ang kailangang tulungan, kaya kami dito ay nagsisikap sa sarili naming mga paa para makatayo muli (There are other people who need more help than us. This is why we try our best to stand on our own),”  Lorna shared.

Seeing their home standing high again, Lorna is convinced that no tragedy can ever break her dreams for her family.

With the lessons she learned from ‘Yolanda’ and the knowledge she gained from Pantawid Pamilya’s FDS, it is not just a secure home that she can give her family but a better future, too. ###