This relocated community about a 20 minute drive outside of Tacloban provides suitable housing for over 100 families. But livelihood that far from the city remains a challenge.
In addition to all the routine activities happening at Tahanan and in the surrounding community, we always find ourselves with additional unique opportunities as we are sensitive to the Lord's leading in our midst.
This past Saturday morning, we were able to help a family move into their new home. While the typhoon that hit the area almost 4 years ago, people are still working to find a semblance of stability with their living environment. The family was recently given a relocation home by an NGO, and we were able to follow up and assist them in transporting and setting up their new environment.
In the wake of the typhoon, OxFam, an international NGO, conducted a report regarding the pros and cons of relocation after disasters based on interview from people on different levels, from government officials to those who have lost their homes. The report notes that as people become urgent to rebuild their lives and find a place to secure their family, the local government must get involved in finding unsafe and safe zones for people to relocate and work alongside families to determine the best way to organize themselves in a healthy manner. They have to find sources of livelihood in areas where communities intend to be relocated. There are a myriad of complications that slow down the process that leave people in less than appropriate living conditions for too long.
We helped youth in Tacloban City facilitate a feeding and children's program at a resettlement camp where over 500 children resided in very cramped conditions for over 2 years.
So when a family actually does find a home, and we get to walk with them through it, it is a breath of fresh air. It's a moment where we get to watch a family's life return to a sense of security and normalcy.
But even with this, there are still many of the original 4 million homeless, who are struggling to get back on their feet. Because of this, we are also doing what we can to provide supplies and care packets for those in these dire situations. It is all too common to see someone on the streets wearing ripped, ragged, and sometimes even no clothes, and so we will be keeping some packets in the ministry vehicle so that we can give to people who we see need them.
It's small opportunities like this that we hope to continue in as we are sensitive to the LORD and the people he puts before us.
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