Stop the hand-outs and give a hand-up

After landing in Tacloban, we jumped in the vehicle for the long drive – roads mangled, trees down, livelihoods gone, homes destroyed... destruction everywhere... refugee tents lining the road.. for miles and miles. Almost four months have passed and it looks like nothing has happened.  The devastation was that bad, and the response has been too slow.

my little friend, the daughter of
our staff, showed me around
their destroyed home.

tombs uprooted and tossed by the typhoon.

this barge, after 4 months, still flipped
 on its side by the typhoon

As we met with government officials to discuss our partnership to help them re-develop the communities there, he shared that one of the major problems is simply the handouts.  Yes, there was a time when hand outs and relief were necessary... but that time has come and gone.  Foreigners like us want to help out, so we dish money over to NGOs who give, give, give... but the giving has gone on so long that the people have become accustomed to it. The able-bodied people need to get on their feet. They need to use their hands and minds. They are capable, very capable. It’s time to work. These foreign NGOs – they’re already starting to leave the country, so now what?  It’s time to work. It’s time to develop and motivate and equip the local people to work. 

We’ll be meeting with some international NGOs in the next day or two to discuss how we can help the communities they’re working in as they exit out of the country.  We’re going to be partnering with a local university here to start a vocational training program, teaching construction skills so that the people can build their own homes and rebuild the community.

a local church flooded and roof
destroyed but still standing. the
pastor and his family have
temporarily been living
in a tent inside the church as
they help  rebuild their
community

Handouts make donors feel good... but there is a time for it and once you go past that time... it creates a dependency that’s hard to break.

many still living in refugee tents.
despite that, a thankful people.

tents and tarps branded by countries
 and NGO logos lined the roads