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Philippines: Canadians donate $2 million to the Humanitarian Coalition for typhoon Haiyan

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Source: Humanitarian Coalition
Country: Canada, Philippines

The Humanitarian Coalition and its member agencies are pleased to announce that as of today, we have raised a total of $2 Million for relief efforts in the Philippines.

With more than 10 million people and several remote communities directly affected by Typhoon Haiyan, the need for emergency assistance continues to grow. Because our member agencies have been working with local partners on the ground for decades, they were in position to anticipate and then respond quickly following the widespread destruction. They are providing drinking water, food, blankets, emergency shelters, hygiene kits, medicines and other basic necessities to thousands of vulnerable people, a large proportion of whom are children.

The Humanitarian Coalition launched its joint appeal on November 10. With the generous support of Canadians, together, we are responding and will continue to help the people of the Philippines as they rebuild their communities in the weeks and months ahead. For more information, go to: www.together.ca

About the HUMANITARIAN COALITION

The Humanitarian Coalition is a joint appeal mechanism. It is comprised of CARE Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam-Québec, Plan Canada and Save the Children Canada. With a combined presence in more than 120 countries, we bring together Canada's leading aid agencies to finance relief efforts in times of international humanitarian crises. We work together to eliminate unnecessary competition, reduce the duplication of fundraising costs, and inform the public on humanitarian needs.


Philippines: We Welcome New Government of Canada Funding for Typhoon Haiyan

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Source: Humanitarian Coalition
Country: Canada, Philippines

The Humanitarian Coalition and its member agencies are pleased to announce that, collectively, they have secured more than $5 million in Government of Canada funding for their relief efforts in response to Typhoon Haiyan.

Canadians from all across the country, including many communities of Filipino descent, also made generous donations to our joint appeal. We have now raised $2.6 million from individuals and corporations.

Despite severely damaged roads and coastal areas, widespread power outages, and a heavily burdened communications infrastructure, emergency supplies and life-saving health services are now reaching a growing number of people affected by Typhoon Haiyan. In the first few days following the disaster, our member agencies provided aid to more than 15,000 people in the worst hit areas of Tacloban and East Samar. Having scaled up their programs, they are aiming to assist many more thousands of people in the days and weeks to come.

With the generous support of Canadians, together, the member agencies of the Humanitarian Coalition continue to help the people of the Philippines as they rebuild their communities.

About the HUMANITARIAN COALITION

The Humanitarian Coalition is a joint appeal mechanism. It is comprised of CARE Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam-Québec, Plan Canada and Save the Children Canada. With a combined presence in more than 120 countries, we bring together Canada's leading aid agencies to finance relief efforts in times of international humanitarian crises. We work together to eliminate unnecessary competition, reduce the duplication of fundraising costs, and inform the public on humanitarian needs.

Philippines: Typhoon Hagupit: Humanitarian Coalition Says Preparedness Efforts Saved Lives

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Source: Humanitarian Coalition
Country: Philippines

Today, after the passing of typhoon Hagupit over the Philippines, the Humanitarian Coalition and its member agencies are relieved to see that it did not cause destruction, injury, and death on the same scale as last year’s typhoon Haiyan.

While many houses have been damaged, a mass evacuation of almost one million people in vulnerable areas before the storm made landfall has shown that preparedness measures save lives. The recovery work of our member agencies in the hardest hit communities, including ‘building back safer’ efforts, is another reason that a worse scenario was averted this time around.

The increased resilience of poor communities was made possible in large part by the generous contributions of Canadians in the aftermath of typhoon Haiyan. For this, the Humanitarian Coalition is grateful. CARE Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam-Québec, Plan Canada and Save the Children Canada have been present in the Philippines for years; working hand in hand with communities in the paths of both typhoon Haiyan (2013) and Hagupit. In addition to ongoing programs, they provided lifesaving assistance in the wake of last year’s crisis, including food, water, shelter, livelihood support and child protection.

The international assistance provided by donor countries such as Canada must also be applauded. The delivery of shelter kits coordinated by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Development (DFATD) allowed Humanitarian Coalition members to help hundreds of families put a roof over their heads.

This week, as Hagupit subsided, assessment teams from our member agencies immediately deployed to identify affected areas and determine needs. The distribution of food and other essential items has begun and more people will be reached as roads are cleared and communication systems are restored.

For more information on the response, please visit our member agencies’ respective websites.

Philippines: Humanitarian Coalition Philippines Typhoon Appeal –Part A: Discussion Paper

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Source: Humanitarian Coalition
Country: Philippines

1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Based on the literature review commissioned by the HC, this discussion paper aims to provide recommendations for Canada-based humanitarian agencies and donors looking to improve their involvement in urban-based humanitarian responses.

The Literature Review focuses on the lessons learned, best practices and common challenges for urban shelter, WASH and livelihoods interventions during the Typhoon Haiyan response. As such, the recommendations presented both reinforce learning and best practices found by similar review exercises, and include new perspectives that aim to spark discussions amongst Canadian actors for future urban humanitarian responses.

The focus of the Literature Review is on responses that occurred within existing cities or towns under the authority of a municipal government. These urban areas are typically characterized by a growing population living and working within a fairly dense and contiguous built form and local “urban” economy under a municipal government responsible for the provision of public infrastructure and services. As a general observation, within the post-disaster context, urban areas experienced higher rates of population growth resulting from induced displacement and rapid urbanization in the form of urban infill (ie., formal or informal occupancy of previously vacant or underutilized land) or peri-urban extensions (ie., formal and informal occupancy of lands on the perimeter of urban areas). Moreover municipal governments and urban populations have a much higher exposure to risk due to disaster-induced damage and displacement and the resulting administrative, financial and capacity strain on public infrastructure and services and due to lack of protections, basic needs and opportunity within the emerging post disaster context. Considering this uneven distribution of risk, many of the main recommendations focus on municipalities (as the governance framework and service provider) as a critical focal point for improving humanitarian response outcomes including increased urban resiliency and disaster risk reduction.
The main recommendations in this paper are divided into two categories – policy recommendations and recommendations for operational agencies.

Policy Recommendations include:

Recommendation 1: Set the stage for early recovery from the outset by using an integrated, incremental “relief to recovery” approach for program design.

1.1 Agencies should plan for early recovery from the outset of a response by integrating the necessary flexibility into program design through the use of incremental strategies that effectively link relief and recovery activities.
1.2 Agencies should include housing, land and property rights as a central element of any “incremental approach” to relief and recovery in urban area from the outset.
1.3 Agencies should use planning tools such as community and regional plans to assess, analyze and respond to the greater effects of post-disaster relief and recovery interventions.

Recommendation 2: Provide sufficient flexibility in emergency response funding mechanisms to enable humanitarian agencies to develop integrated, incremental, “relief to recovery” programming.

2.1 Donors should provide sufficient flexibility in emergency response funding mechanisms to enable implementing agencies to adapt programming where necessary based on updated, urban appropriate needs assessments, situation and response analyses.

2.2 Donors should provide sufficient flexibility in emergency response funding mechanisms to enable implementing agencies to adapt and develop integrated, cross-sectoral programming that strengthens existing municipal services as part of first phase response. This includes capacity building of municipal departments and the use of integrated and/or area-based approaches.

2.3 Donors should provide increased funding for recovery efforts that involve participatory planning efforts and partnerships between local government, local civil society and affected communities.

Operational Recommendations Include:
Recommendation 3: Adopt cross-sectoral, neighbourhood, or area-based approaches when implementing responses in densely populated urban contexts

3.1 Implementing agencies should plan responses to displacement so they reflect beneficiaries’ new contexts and sense of place post-disaster, integrating essential and secondary services so that sectoral activities support, reinforce and multiply one another’s impacts.
3.2 Agencies should make more use of geographically focused targeting methodologies when implementing responses in dense urban environments, as part of an integrated area-based approach.
3.3 Agencies should adapt existing assessment and program design tools so they better reflect the complexities of the urban environment, needs of host and displaced populations and capacity of municipal service providers to respond.
3.4 Agencies should integrate sectoral programming with cross-cutting livelihoods strategies reflective of preexisting regional and local urban economies and the emerging reconstruction economy.

Recommendation 4: Establish partnerships with municipalities and local authorities to plan for, and deliver, integrated “relief to recovery” interventions from the outset of humanitarian operations – even prior to emergencies.

4.1 Agencies should work in partnership with municipalities and local authorities to plan for interventions by aligning first phase response plans with essential public services and infrastructure, as well as identifying challenges this will engender for recovery assistance.

4.2 Agencies should strengthen existing municipal services and local infrastructure as part of first phase response. This may include capacity building and systems support for the municipal departments, civil society and/or private sector actors responsible for the delivery of essential services such as water, waste management, transportation, and health among others.

Recommendation 5: Include participatory planning approaches for community design in relief and recovery interventions in urban areas; including incremental approaches to land tenure, housing and infrastructure.
5.1 Agencies should facilitate an open, accessible, participatory community planning process that incorporates communities and the local government into shared decision-making regarding organization of the public realm (services and infrastructure).

Philippines: Canadians donate $2 million to the Humanitarian Coalition for typhoon Haiyan

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Source: Humanitarian Coalition
Country: Canada, Philippines

The Humanitarian Coalition and its member agencies are pleased to announce that as of today, we have raised a total of $2 Million for relief efforts in the Philippines.

With more than 10 million people and several remote communities directly affected by Typhoon Haiyan, the need for emergency assistance continues to grow. Because our member agencies have been working with local partners on the ground for decades, they were in position to anticipate and then respond quickly following the widespread destruction. They are providing drinking water, food, blankets, emergency shelters, hygiene kits, medicines and other basic necessities to thousands of vulnerable people, a large proportion of whom are children.

The Humanitarian Coalition launched its joint appeal on November 10. With the generous support of Canadians, together, we are responding and will continue to help the people of the Philippines as they rebuild their communities in the weeks and months ahead. For more information, go to: www.together.ca

About the HUMANITARIAN COALITION

The Humanitarian Coalition is a joint appeal mechanism. It is comprised of CARE Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam-Québec, Plan Canada and Save the Children Canada. With a combined presence in more than 120 countries, we bring together Canada's leading aid agencies to finance relief efforts in times of international humanitarian crises. We work together to eliminate unnecessary competition, reduce the duplication of fundraising costs, and inform the public on humanitarian needs.

Philippines: We Welcome New Government of Canada Funding for Typhoon Haiyan

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Source: Humanitarian Coalition
Country: Canada, Philippines

The Humanitarian Coalition and its member agencies are pleased to announce that, collectively, they have secured more than $5 million in Government of Canada funding for their relief efforts in response to Typhoon Haiyan.

Canadians from all across the country, including many communities of Filipino descent, also made generous donations to our joint appeal. We have now raised $2.6 million from individuals and corporations.

Despite severely damaged roads and coastal areas, widespread power outages, and a heavily burdened communications infrastructure, emergency supplies and life-saving health services are now reaching a growing number of people affected by Typhoon Haiyan. In the first few days following the disaster, our member agencies provided aid to more than 15,000 people in the worst hit areas of Tacloban and East Samar. Having scaled up their programs, they are aiming to assist many more thousands of people in the days and weeks to come.

With the generous support of Canadians, together, the member agencies of the Humanitarian Coalition continue to help the people of the Philippines as they rebuild their communities.

About the HUMANITARIAN COALITION

The Humanitarian Coalition is a joint appeal mechanism. It is comprised of CARE Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam-Québec, Plan Canada and Save the Children Canada. With a combined presence in more than 120 countries, we bring together Canada's leading aid agencies to finance relief efforts in times of international humanitarian crises. We work together to eliminate unnecessary competition, reduce the duplication of fundraising costs, and inform the public on humanitarian needs.

Philippines: Typhoon Hagupit: Humanitarian Coalition Says Preparedness Efforts Saved Lives

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0
Source: Humanitarian Coalition
Country: Philippines

Today, after the passing of typhoon Hagupit over the Philippines, the Humanitarian Coalition and its member agencies are relieved to see that it did not cause destruction, injury, and death on the same scale as last year’s typhoon Haiyan.

While many houses have been damaged, a mass evacuation of almost one million people in vulnerable areas before the storm made landfall has shown that preparedness measures save lives. The recovery work of our member agencies in the hardest hit communities, including ‘building back safer’ efforts, is another reason that a worse scenario was averted this time around.

The increased resilience of poor communities was made possible in large part by the generous contributions of Canadians in the aftermath of typhoon Haiyan. For this, the Humanitarian Coalition is grateful. CARE Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam-Québec, Plan Canada and Save the Children Canada have been present in the Philippines for years; working hand in hand with communities in the paths of both typhoon Haiyan (2013) and Hagupit. In addition to ongoing programs, they provided lifesaving assistance in the wake of last year’s crisis, including food, water, shelter, livelihood support and child protection.

The international assistance provided by donor countries such as Canada must also be applauded. The delivery of shelter kits coordinated by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Development (DFATD) allowed Humanitarian Coalition members to help hundreds of families put a roof over their heads.

This week, as Hagupit subsided, assessment teams from our member agencies immediately deployed to identify affected areas and determine needs. The distribution of food and other essential items has begun and more people will be reached as roads are cleared and communication systems are restored.

For more information on the response, please visit our member agencies’ respective websites.

Philippines: Humanitarian Coalition Philippines Typhoon Appeal –Part A: Discussion Paper

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Source: Humanitarian Coalition
Country: Philippines

1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Based on the literature review commissioned by the HC, this discussion paper aims to provide recommendations for Canada-based humanitarian agencies and donors looking to improve their involvement in urban-based humanitarian responses.

The Literature Review focuses on the lessons learned, best practices and common challenges for urban shelter, WASH and livelihoods interventions during the Typhoon Haiyan response. As such, the recommendations presented both reinforce learning and best practices found by similar review exercises, and include new perspectives that aim to spark discussions amongst Canadian actors for future urban humanitarian responses.

The focus of the Literature Review is on responses that occurred within existing cities or towns under the authority of a municipal government. These urban areas are typically characterized by a growing population living and working within a fairly dense and contiguous built form and local “urban” economy under a municipal government responsible for the provision of public infrastructure and services. As a general observation, within the post-disaster context, urban areas experienced higher rates of population growth resulting from induced displacement and rapid urbanization in the form of urban infill (ie., formal or informal occupancy of previously vacant or underutilized land) or peri-urban extensions (ie., formal and informal occupancy of lands on the perimeter of urban areas). Moreover municipal governments and urban populations have a much higher exposure to risk due to disaster-induced damage and displacement and the resulting administrative, financial and capacity strain on public infrastructure and services and due to lack of protections, basic needs and opportunity within the emerging post disaster context. Considering this uneven distribution of risk, many of the main recommendations focus on municipalities (as the governance framework and service provider) as a critical focal point for improving humanitarian response outcomes including increased urban resiliency and disaster risk reduction.
The main recommendations in this paper are divided into two categories – policy recommendations and recommendations for operational agencies.

Policy Recommendations include:

Recommendation 1: Set the stage for early recovery from the outset by using an integrated, incremental “relief to recovery” approach for program design.

1.1 Agencies should plan for early recovery from the outset of a response by integrating the necessary flexibility into program design through the use of incremental strategies that effectively link relief and recovery activities.
1.2 Agencies should include housing, land and property rights as a central element of any “incremental approach” to relief and recovery in urban area from the outset.
1.3 Agencies should use planning tools such as community and regional plans to assess, analyze and respond to the greater effects of post-disaster relief and recovery interventions.

Recommendation 2: Provide sufficient flexibility in emergency response funding mechanisms to enable humanitarian agencies to develop integrated, incremental, “relief to recovery” programming.

2.1 Donors should provide sufficient flexibility in emergency response funding mechanisms to enable implementing agencies to adapt programming where necessary based on updated, urban appropriate needs assessments, situation and response analyses.

2.2 Donors should provide sufficient flexibility in emergency response funding mechanisms to enable implementing agencies to adapt and develop integrated, cross-sectoral programming that strengthens existing municipal services as part of first phase response. This includes capacity building of municipal departments and the use of integrated and/or area-based approaches.

2.3 Donors should provide increased funding for recovery efforts that involve participatory planning efforts and partnerships between local government, local civil society and affected communities.

Operational Recommendations Include:
Recommendation 3: Adopt cross-sectoral, neighbourhood, or area-based approaches when implementing responses in densely populated urban contexts

3.1 Implementing agencies should plan responses to displacement so they reflect beneficiaries’ new contexts and sense of place post-disaster, integrating essential and secondary services so that sectoral activities support, reinforce and multiply one another’s impacts.
3.2 Agencies should make more use of geographically focused targeting methodologies when implementing responses in dense urban environments, as part of an integrated area-based approach.
3.3 Agencies should adapt existing assessment and program design tools so they better reflect the complexities of the urban environment, needs of host and displaced populations and capacity of municipal service providers to respond.
3.4 Agencies should integrate sectoral programming with cross-cutting livelihoods strategies reflective of preexisting regional and local urban economies and the emerging reconstruction economy.

Recommendation 4: Establish partnerships with municipalities and local authorities to plan for, and deliver, integrated “relief to recovery” interventions from the outset of humanitarian operations – even prior to emergencies.

4.1 Agencies should work in partnership with municipalities and local authorities to plan for interventions by aligning first phase response plans with essential public services and infrastructure, as well as identifying challenges this will engender for recovery assistance.

4.2 Agencies should strengthen existing municipal services and local infrastructure as part of first phase response. This may include capacity building and systems support for the municipal departments, civil society and/or private sector actors responsible for the delivery of essential services such as water, waste management, transportation, and health among others.

Recommendation 5: Include participatory planning approaches for community design in relief and recovery interventions in urban areas; including incremental approaches to land tenure, housing and infrastructure.
5.1 Agencies should facilitate an open, accessible, participatory community planning process that incorporates communities and the local government into shared decision-making regarding organization of the public realm (services and infrastructure).


Philippines: Timely aid arrives to the Philippines after Typhoon Kai-tak ravages islands

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Source: Humanitarian Coalition
Country: Canada, Philippines

For many in the Philippines, Christmas celebrations were put on hold as they dealt with the aftermath of Typhoon Kai-tak, which hit the easternmost provinces of the country on December 16, 2017.

The Category 2 storm brought heavy rains and winds gusting up to 110 km/h. At least 47 people were killed and almost 2 million were affected. In Biliran, the worst hit province, the storm affected more than 65 per cent of the population, killing 42 people.

Flooding and landslides destroyed many homes and crops and cut off many villages. In addition, water systems were damaged and assessments revealed that 80 per cent of the total water sources were contaminated. As such, waterborne diseases are expected to rise. Poor and displaced families living in evacuation centers or with host families are dealing with a scarcity of clean water, poor sanitation and a lack of shelter.

However, thanks to the Canadian Humanitarian Assistance Fund, Oxfam Canada will be able to assist approximately 10,000 of the most vulnerable people in Biliran with livelihood support, clean water and the replacement of household items lost in the storm.

Oxfam will also distribute cash grants to enable families to access basic needs, targeting especially vulnerable households, pregnant women, lactating mothers and the elderly. The cash grants of $25 and $50 mean the most vulnerable do not resort to negative coping mechanisms and can meet their basic life-saving needs.

The Canadian Humanitarian Assistance Fund is a joint mechanism financed by Global Affairs Canada, the Humanitarian Coalition and its member agencies.

For more information:

Yosé Cormier
Humanitarian Coalition
613-292-2687
yose.cormier@humanitariancoalition.ca

About the Humanitarian Coalition

The Humanitarian Coalition is Canada’s only joint appeal mechanism for international disasters and emergencies. It is made up of seven leading humanitarian agencies: Canadian Lutheran World Relief, CARE Canada, Islamic Relief Canada, Oxfam Canada, Oxfam-Québec, Plan International Canada, and Save the Children Canada. The members of the Humanitarian Coalition work together to reduce unnecessary competition, better educate the public on humanitarian needs, increase the impact of Canadian humanitarian responses and reduce administrative costs. Collectively, they are present in 150 countries.





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