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| Metro Manila saw its worst flooding in nearly 50 years. |
September 28, 2009: At least 240 Filipinos have lost their lives, and 150,000 of their homes, to Typhoon Ketsana. The storm hit Luzon, the Philippines' main island, on Saturday, September 26th.
Up to 80 percent of Manila is covered in water. Rescue workers are reported to be overwhelmed. Forty-eight hours after the storm dumped the same amount of rain in one day as is typical for a whole month in the region, thousands of capital residents are still awaiting rescue on rooftops.
Tens of thousands of people are sleeping in churches, schools, and outdoor parks. Many are pitching tents wherever they can. Roads and bridges have been washed away. In the capital of Manila alone, economic damage has already totaled $30 million.
Once loss of life outside the capital is counted, the death toll is expected to rise, according to local officials.
SOS Children's Villages on Site to Raise Abandoned Children
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| An SOS Family from Iloilo, Philippines |
Children are often the most traumatized segment of a population affected by disasters like floods and earthquakes. SOS Children's Villages, a large charity that offers warm homes, SOS mothers, and supportive communities to orphaned and abandoned children, has been in the Philippines for 42 years.
Even without the chaos brought by disasters such as Typhoon Ketsana, many Filipino children are plagued by poor living conditions, especially in the cities. A grim life of child labor and sleeping on the streets awaits many of the nation's poorest children.
To help safeguard the lives of such children, SOS Children's Villages runs seven Children's Villages in the Philippines, including one in Manila.
SOS not only raises, educates, and provides medical care to the children under its care. The organization also helps local families. Through its social centers, SOS offers to needy families daycare services, counseling, and food. SOS schools open their doors to neighborhood children who would otherwise not attend school.
There for Disaster Relief
With its many years of field experience and its knowledgeable local staff, SOS is uniquely perched to offer swift assistance during natural disasters. In Muntinlupa City, the area of Manila where SOS Children's Villages is located, SOS staff are busy gathering food, blankets, soap, and medicines to distribute to the more than 600 families temporarily housed at the Alabang Elementary School.
When tragedy strikes in the countries in which it operates, SOS also assumes the care of homeless children, runs child trauma relief programs, and helps reunite separated families.
Help a child in the Philippines find a loving home and secure a productive life. Sponsor an SOS child today.
