While the Philippines is certainly no stranger to typhoons, the effects left behind by a worsening climate crisis remains devastating. One of the world’s strongest typhoons this year, Typhoon Odette (international name Rai) tore through the Visayas-Mindanao region, badly hitting seaside communities and island regions like Surigao, Bohol, Cebu, Palawan, and Leyte.
In its wake, communities are struggling to find enough food and water, as well as electricity and communication signal. If you’d like to extend help, here are some of the local groups and non-profits organizing relief efforts:
The youth organization For the Future PH continues to accept donations in cash and in kind, to be sent directly to the affected areas. They are urgently asking for donations of ready-to-eat and easy to open food, as many places are running out of a stable food supply. Visit their Instagram page for more details and updates.
To help ease water scarcity, Waves for Water Philippines is also sending clean water systems to different communities affected by the typhoon. They’ve begun distributing these in Siargao, Bohol, and Cebu, and plan to assist more affected areas in the comming days. Visit their Instagram page for additional updates.
Meanwhile, The Malaya Initiative is holding a fundraising sale through their Facebook Page until December 25, with 100 percent of the net profits going to the relief efforts by For the Future and Waves for Water. They also accept monetary donations.
Non-government organizations that are based in the affected areas, such as Siargao’s Lokal Lab, the Save Palawan Seas Foundation, and the NVC Foundation in Bacolod, are also in need of donations and support as they conduct relief and rehabilitation efforts on the ground. Recently, a new group called Rise Siargao also launched a fundraiser to help rebuild the homes destroyed by the typhoon.
For additional avenues to extend help to the relief efforts, the Philippine Star and Rappler have also compiled lists of trusted donation channels.
