Malteser International Annual Report 2014

19
In San Antonio on
the island of Samar,
children play in the
streets. Life goes
on despite the
devastation.
S
an Antonio is a small village with 8,000
inhabitants on Samar – the fourth largest
island of the Philippines. By motorboat, the
journey over here from Tacloban takes around
half an hour. I am on the island with our Program
Coordinator Matius Krisetya. As we came into the small
harbor, I was surprised to find the damage left behind
by Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013 was still clearly
visible. Great numbers of houses built close to the water
have been reduced to matchwood. They stand windowless,
with collapsed roofs, and holes gaping in the walls.
Children play in the streets – laughing as we walk
through the village. The place is alive with activity.
Young people carry wood and the sound of hammering
rings in the air: the plans are made and rebuilding is
underway. Some houses are already complete and once
again inhabitable.
Going forwards step by step
In one of these houses, we met Primo and Carmelita.
They belong to one of the 350 families on the island of
Samar who received help in order to build a new home.
Shortly before Christmas 2014 a new house was ready
for the old couple to move in to, financed by Malteser
International. Carmelita welcomes me with a hearty
smile and shows me around her home. Family photos