CARD MRI Dugtong-Buhay project, extends help to disaster survivors
The Philippines has been stricken by numerous disasters. Millions have lost lives, loved ones, homes and sources of living.
“Everything has changed but we are back, back to normal life where it has been”, shared Nanay Norma Cabrera, CARD MRI member, when asked how she and her family are doing six months after the super typhoon Yolanda damaged the central part of the country.
Six months after, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reported that Yolanda affected at least 7.1M individuals. Of the million casualties mitigated with a lot of initiatives in recovery and rehabilitation, life is still very tough in the provinces of Leyte and Samar.
Despite all these, Filipinos have remained resilient. Filipinos started to stand up again; started to build homes and search for sources of living like what the microfinance clients that CARD MRI serves are doing.
The CARD MRI Dugtong-Buhay Project
After months of relief and recovery phase of CARD MRI, the social development organization organized the Dugtong-Buhay Project, its disaster rehabilitation response following the world’s deadliest super typhoon. CARD MRI is the leading Philippine MFI with about 2.5 million women member-clients all over the country, served by close to 8,500 staff in close to 1,500 offices nationwide.
By end of 2013, CARD MRI reported 326 of its member-clients perished with 170 still reported missing because of typhoon Yolanda. In the affected areas, a total of 179,388 members and 156 staff were affected, with lives lost, houses destroyed and livelihood in shambles. This disaster has put a dent on CARD MRI’s maximum capacity to serve low-income groups in the calamity-stricken areas.
Dugtong-Buhay is a coined term from two Filipino words: “dugtong” which means augmentation or extension and “buhay” which means life. It is a continuing series of forum-caravans for sharing on disaster preparedness and to create a special livelihood/calamity fund to further support surviving CARD MRI members and dependents get back on their feet.
In the recent forum-caravan under the project, 12 different international and local organizations have participated in disaster preparedness and management forum, dialogue with co-participants and community members and other stakeholders, vegetable planting to support the Luntiang Bukid ni Inay program of CARD MRI, and observation of the CARD MRI health missions and MFI clients’ fashion show and product show in an exhibit of products from disaster affected areas.
CARD MRI experience: Disaster Management
Disaster management (DM) is a key strategy to ensure sustainability of the institution. CARD MRI’s experience in the countless disasters made it more resilient and prepared. Following its framework, CARD MRI’s DM always start with preparedness through Credit with Education (CWE), a weekly or monthly information dissemination, on disaster preparedness and what might it cost them when one is not prepared. Also, through its Legal Security, first aid training from Red Cross for staff is being done. Significantly, CARD also provides insurance to its members and staff through CARD Mutual Benefit Association, CARD MRI Insurance Agency and Pioneer Life Inc. A certain group was also and organized to solely look into the disaster response of the institution.
One is now prepared and must be ready for the response. CARD MRI’s responses are through its CARD MRI Disaster Relief Assistance Program (CDRAP), declaring moratorium on loans in affected areas, logistical support to staff and quick turn around of operations. With the immediate response from the formed disaster response group, branches of CARD MRI were able to operate and serve clients three weeks after Yolanda hit.
Believing that they can never do it alone, partnership with other institutions, such as member MFIs of MIDAS and partner organizations under the Project Bagong Araw of the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) and Micro Ventures Foundation (MVF) were established. Resource mobilization like this Dugtong-Buhay project, providing special Calamity Loan to rebuild their houses and sources of livelihood, livelihood trainings, Luntiang Bukid ni Inay, Community Health Days and stress debriefing were also part of the rehabilitation program of CARD MRI. All these rehabilitation programs were shown during the 3-day activity under the Dugtong Buhay Project forum-caravan
During the forum-caravan, 33 women were trained for product development on June 10 in Brgy. Cogon, Palo, Leyte to help them start business anew. They underwent training on how to make accessories, considering the availability of resources such as shells and beads. End products of the said training were presented during the Mga Likha ni Inay fashion show on June 12 and were also sold by the clients during the exhibit.
On the Community Health Day held at Basey, Eastern Samar on June 11, it served 968 members, staff and their dependents and 303 non-members. EENT and general medical check up with free medicines were the services during the event. Also, on the same day CARD clients and the participants planted vegetables to the 36sq.m. vegetable garden and donated seeds to the three centers of CARD in Barangay San Antonio, Basey. This will now serve as the source of livelihood of the CARD clients.
MLNI Fashion Show
Despite the crisis, CARD MRI and its colleagues in the industry, ASA Philippines Foundation and Taytay sa Kauswagan, Inc. (TSKI), showed to survivors that there are so many opportunities for them. The Dugtong-Buhay project is also a way of supporting the clients’ products coming Samar and Leyte, thus, a fashion show is realized.
To further support the people in the provinces of Samar and Leyte through Mga Likha ni Inay fashion show, Kawayanan ni Inay was introduced to them. Aside that this is a way to mitigate floods; this is to also add more available resources for their future collections for the Mga Likha ni Inay.
With the said fourm-caravan, participating international MFIs, foundations and private organizations like KMBI, ASKI, TSKI, ASA Philippines Foundation, SAMIC, Sathapana Limited, TAO Corporation, Pioneer Life, RIMANSI and media partners of CARD MRI, shared their organizations’ experience with disaster and their learning from fellow participants and from CARD MRI that would be relevant to their respective organizations.
The project which also aims to raise funds from June to November 8, 2014 is looking forward to extending more helping hand in extending the lives and offer lots of opportunities for the people, especially those who are trying to rise above disasters.
