(Photo by CRWRC/D. Arriesgado)
Philippines (MNN/CRWRC) ― When typhoon rains hit the Philippines, the storms destroyed commercial fish pens and washed away the cages and nets of small-scale fishermen.
As part of the "More Food, More Fish" response in Los Banos, Christian Reformed World Relief Committee will distribute fishnets to 450 families. They also released one-million baby tilapia into the bay.
Laguna de Bay is the third-largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, covering over 911 square kilometers. Because the lake is located on the doorstep of Metro Manila, the lake is intensively used by commercial and small-scale fishermen.
After September's storms, there was nothing left but debris. Tadlac, a poor fishing community, remains nearly submerged from the flooding, forcing the residents to live in tents on a small ridge of land just inland from the town.
The CRWRC's release of the fish will give the small fishermen a head start on the fish market, since the large commercial fish farms won't restock until March.
Another aspect of the "More Food, More Fish" project involves agricultural recovery. They're helping 869 farmers in Pila, Victoria, Calamba, Bay, Pasanjan, Lumban, and Santa Maria communities restore their rice crop. This includes providing training on green farming methods and distributing tools and inputs to help ensure a robust harvest.
CRWRC international relief manager, Jack Dalmaijer, says they've launched over 30 mobile medical clinics in which nearly 4,000 patients have been treated by clinic staff. These mobile clinics are held in hard-to-reach communities.
Dalmaijer goes on to say, "Getting to these places often involved using canoes to travel over the still-flooded rice paddies in order to reach the people whose access to health care has been cut off. Several days a week are also spent in schools where the nurses do hygiene training for the kids."
"Another very much appreciated project that is being implemented is the cleaning and sanitizing of 480 houses. These houses have been filled with water for two months or longer and are covered with algae, fungi and mold. The cleaning crews sanitize them until they are fit for human habitation. They are also cleaning classrooms so that children can return to school," Dalmaijer reported.
By providing health care, nets, clean houses, and assistance to rice farmers, the local church becomes the hands and feet of Jesus.
