Changing the lives of survivors and volunteers worldwide
Disaster Risk Reduction in the Philippines
Thanks to the Vodafone Foundation’s Grahame Maher Award, we’re currently working in the Philippines in the community of Banaba, which is on the outskirts of Manila. Our focus here in Manila is on pro-active disaster risk reduction (DRR) rather than simply responding to a disaster.
This is EDV’s first deployment focusing on DRR and we’re delighted to be taking this exciting step! The Philippines is one of the world’s most disaster prone countries, and the recent impacts of Typhoon Bopha make the need for a proactive approach to disaster clear. By focusing on disaster risk reduction, we can help hundreds of families avoid this kind of devastation!
To accomplish our goal of helping Banaba become less vulnerable to disaster we're working closely with a local people’s organisation called “Buklod Tao”. Together, we’ll be executing the projects below and much more!
Interested in getting your hands dirty? Find out more about volunteering here!
Buklod Tao, which means “The People Bonding Together” is a local people’s organisation which has been working in Banaba since 1997. Today, Buklod Tao has more than 600 members and dozens of successful projects. 
We’re committed to helping Buklod Tao build a three-story livelihood and evacuation centre. The centre will provide a safe place during floods for 89 of the most vulnerable families in the community. During the rest of the year the centre will give Buklod Tao a space to carry out all of its life-changing projects. Currently, Buklod Tao works in a number of improvised structures. 
Our goal here in the Philippines is to work ourselves out of a job! We plan to invest in Buklod Tao’s capacity so that, in time, they are less reliant on the support of groups like EDV. To that end, we’re recruiting volunteers to provide support and training for Buklod Tao’s members. 
Here in the Philippines, reducing community vulnerability will be a long-term effort, and that’s why involving young people is so important. 
In the Philippines, the question isn’t if the next Typhoon or flood will strike – it’s when. All the prevention measures in the world won’t stop the weather, so communities need to be ready. 
Floods in the Philippines don’t just inundate houses – they completely wash away houses, especially those near rivers. Worse, even when floods don’t touch the houses, they erode the riverbanks, and eventually the houses simply fall in. Newsletter:
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