Shocked, Shaken, but Still Standing

We are happy that donor representatives and funders of this START NETWORK from Ireland, England, Germany, and the Netherlands visited the target municipalities of Bucay, Tayum, and La Paz, dialogued with the local government units, chatted with the beneficiaries, and visited some of the earthquake shaken homes that had received aid from the consortium.

 

Sara Irene McCan from START NETWORK funder, Irish Aid

“So we visited all the areas but the START network responded to and all the consortium members responded to, including ADRA. The real value added of START is the timely response of the first response. 

So what we’ve really seen at the START Members and its members were one of the first responders here. The assistance reached the communities within a week of the earthquake striking. They were one of the first response and it was very timely and also very needs based. They definitely identified the most vulnerable. They coordinated closely with the government, which is very important. And then they responded with a range of interventions from cash assistance, shelter repair, WASH and some psychosocial supports.

To the people of ABRA, I think their resilience has been remarkable. They’re so strong in the face of what they’ve faced because they faced an earthquake which they have not encountered before, not for a very long time. And then they said they had the typhoon passing through and yet they still full of courage and humor, which we have seen, but also hope to rebuild their lives. And I think with the support of organizations like ADRA and the START Consortium, working hand-in-hand with the community is really important going forward to help them rebuild and REBUILD BETTER in fact.”

Note: The Start Fund is a multi-donor pooled fund that provides fast and direct funding to their member Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) for ‘under the radar’ crises. ADRA was tapped by Humanity and Inclusion (HI) to be their local partner and be a part of the START FUND funded ABRA Response Consortium with TEAR FUND,  PLAN, and PHILRADS to implement a multi-sectoral response in the province of Abra that will provide shelter repair kits, earthquake protection kits, hygiene kits, psychological first aid, and cash for shelter to the families that lost their homes due to the earthquake.