CAFOD supplies one billion litres of water in typhoon ‘rapid response’

image Fides

CAFOD has supplied more than one billion litres of water to people hit by the Philippines typhoon, after being selected as one of the UK aid agencies leading the government’s official ‘rapid response’ to the disaster.

The aid agency received £660,000 from the Department of International Development’s (DfID’s) Rapid Response Fund to enable it to provide clean water and sanitation in the immediate aftermath of the typhoon.

In the first few weeks after the disaster, CAFOD teamed up with its American sister agency Catholic Relief Services to provide hygiene kits – containing soap, toothbrushes, towels, buckets and water purification tablets – to 46,535 people, and to supply drinking water to more than 16,000. The agency has now trucked more than one billion litres of water to vulnerable communities.

Matthew Carter, Director of CAFOD’s Humanitarian Department, said: “The Catholic community has been unbelievably generous in supporting our response to the disaster, but the rapid response funding from the government was also a real boost in the immediate aftermath of the typhoon. When I went to Leyte island in November, I was shocked by the level of destruction. In some ways, I found it more shocking than the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami, which wiped away everything and left the land relatively clear. In the Philippines, it was more like a nuclear bomb had gone off – there was just debris everywhere, and water supplies had been destroyed in many areas.

“Getting clean water and sanitation in place is vital in stopping the spread of waterborne diseases such as cholera. Thanks to support from the government as well as Catholics in England and Wales, we were able to start responding within hours of the typhoon’s impact.”

The government’s Rapid Response Fund was established on the recommendation of Lord Paddy Ashdown in 2012 after his independent review of the way the government responds to humanitarian emergencies. Its role is to provide immediate money to aid agencies during the first critical days after a major disaster, thereby reaching affected people faster and saving more lives.

In June 2012, DfID chose CAFOD as one of the original aid agencies adjudged to meet the criteria required to qualify for Rapid Response funding. At the time, the Secretary of State for International Development, Andrew Mitchell MP, said: “Clearly we need our best experts, equipment and aid on the scene as quickly as possible after a disaster, not tied up in red tape. These organisations represent the very best performing disaster response agencies. CAFOD need to be able to do their job in that vital window of 72 hours, to save as many lives as possible.”

Edzil, 18, is one of the thousands of people on Leyte island who have received clean water and hygiene kits. He said: “Most of the houses where we live have been destroyed. The water supply has been destroyed. This area is now very dirty. There is a mix of things left around – chemicals, trees, dead bodies. They create side effects. It is hard to breathe. Many people have been sick, mostly with diarrhoea.

“Thanks to CAFOD we now have clean water again. This water is important to us, and it is purified. Many thanks for supplying it.”

Catholics in England and Wales have donated more than £4.3 million to CAFOD’s Philippines Typhoon Haiyan appeal, which the agency is using to provide food, water and shelter to tens of thousands of people across the country.

CAFOD applied for DfID’s Rapid Response Fund in consortium with Catholic Relief Services, Oxfam and Plan International. The consortium was awarded £2 million, with CAFOD receiving £660,000 of the total. CAFOD had provided hygiene kits to 46,535 people, promoted hygiene and sanitation to 47,770 people, and trucked clean water to 16,000 people by the end of December,

CAFOD has also received more than £4.3 million in donations from Catholics in England and Wales, and a further £2.8 as an initial allocation from the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC). The agency is working with Caritas Philippines, Caritas Switzerland and CRS to provide food, shelter kits and water, and to help people find new ways of making a living.