Disasters are life-shattering, but their effects are not the same for everyone. They are true breaking points for people with low incomes and high levels of vulnerability. 

The Philippines ranks as one of the countries worst affected by the climate crisis, including the devastating typhoons that have intensified with global warming.

Blog post by Kristine Sabillo More from Kristine Sabillo Grace Moñera, 32, was just a child when her father first taught her how to cut bamboo and turn them into amakan or woven split-bamboo mats that are commonly used as wall paneling for traditional houses in some parts of rural Philippines. Knowing this craft has allowed […]

Blog post by Kristine Sabillo More from Kristine Sabillo DAVAO CITY — Marivic and Joe Randy Dubria live in a farming village in Bansalan, Davao del Sur, at the foothills of the Mt. Apo, the highest mountain in the Philippines. The couple worked hard but they struggled to make ends meet. Vegetable farming brought little income […]

As we usher in a new world, we must choose what to bring and what not. Using Sarah Longwe’s women empowerment framework, there are five basic aspects of empowerment: welfare, access, conscientization, participation, and control. Welfare Let’s visualize these five levels of empowerment with our hands. First is our pinky finger (hinliliit) to represent our […]

Blog post by Ma. Victoria R. RaquizaMore from Ma. Victoria R. Raquiza The pandemic caught us all by surprise. And since then, we have had to learn and cope and survive for ourselves, our families, and our communities. But, as often observed, a crisis also presents opportunities for us to not just learn, but also to soul search […]

Blog post by Randee Cabaces More from Randee Cabaces The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented changes to our way of lives. For one, work-from-home arrangements have turned our homes into our workspaces, creating a dilemma about when work exactly begins and ends each day.  The boundary separating work from personal life is even worse for those […]

Blog post by Genevieve EstacaanMore from Genevieve Estacaan Thirty-two-year-old Bai was supposed to fly abroad for work when the Philippine Government declared a country-wide lockdown including the temporary suspension of thousands of international and domestic flights. Bai had prepared for her departure for a long time, but all of her plans took a sudden turn when […]

Blog post by Lot Felizco; Melchor MergalMore from Lot Felizco; Melchor Mergal The Covid-19 crisis is not the only emergency the Philippines is facing. The economic slump triggered by the pandemic is happening alongside the country’s vulnerability to natural hazards and climate-related disasters, and worsening pre-existing social vulnerabilities. In Salcedo, Eastern Samar, painful lessons from Super […]

Blog post by Genevieve EstacaanMore from Genevieve Estacaan Ben, 36, is a community organizer with an NGO helping people find jobs and creating sources of income in his hometown, Cotabato City. When the pandemic began, his role shifted to mobilizing Barangays (townships) to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus through hygiene awareness sessions that include […]