A spark of hope emanates in each child’s face as they embark on a new life in Amore. (Phot by PINGGOT ZULUETA)

On November 30, 2007, the province of Albay was devastated by super typhoon Reming that brought with it violent winds, a heavy downpour and rushing flood. A lot of families clambered above their roofs for survival. Some had to swim through muddy waters or ended up homeless; while others didn’t make it alive.

More than 12,000 families were rendered homeless, grieving, and distraught. All had lost hope but moving on is inevitable. After two years of grief, faith voluntarily finds its way into the people’s hearts and they found the strength within them to start living again.

For the past two years, different relocation sites were developed in the province to provide new shelter for the victims and displaced families, one of which is the Amore Purpose Driven Community in Daraga, Albay.

With the vision to transform a community of victims into a group of forward-looking and productive Filipinos, the Amore Purpose Driven Community through Operation Compassion’s “Sambahayan sa Albay” aims to provide at least 1,000 families with a new  chance in life.

Community building

But unlike other relocation sites, Amore is not merely doling out houses to the victims. The community itself is given the role to build their houses, on their own, to give them a sense of ownership and responsibility for their future homes.

Ten families work together as a group to build a two-storey house with two separate bedrooms. Each house has a livelihood area where the families can start a small business.

“The idea is to provide them with the materials and they make the houses for each other. They would not know which house they get, to ensure that each unit is built with equal vigor and dedication,” said Operation Compassion president, Butch Albert.

To this day, there are 130 duplex houses for the 130 families in the Amore community, together with a day-care center and a two-storey multi-purpose hall. However, relocating the families wasn’t an entirely easy task.

Restoring hope

According to Daniel Reola, People’s Organization chairman of the Amore Purpose Driven Community, it took a while before they learned to adjust in the area, “Hindi naman madaling lumipat na lang basta-basta sa isang lugar na hindi namin kabisado at wala kaming makukuhanan ng pang araw-araw na pangangailangan. Tapos pag-dating namin dito, wala pang bahay kaya five months kami nakatira sa tent bago sila makapagpatayo ng resettlement area.” 

During their first months in Amore, chaos crippled the community. Not everybody was cooperating, a lot of them were jobless, and others started bickering for lack of food and shelter. However, through various programs such as the Purpose Driven Life Seminar, medical missions, feeding and livelihood programs, and weekly Bible studies, the people started working together as a team, committed to think about the welfare of their neighbors and community as a whole.

“What makes Amore unique from other relocation sites is our commitment to transform a tragedy-stricken community into well-rounded individuals through holistic community developments. You can’t just give dole outs and leave them in that state. Aanhin nila ang bahay kung wala naman silang makain,” shared Albert.

But all of these efforts won’t mean anything unless the people start helping themselves. It’s been two years since Typhoon Reming, the residents of Albay have learned to stop thinking and living like victims to be able to start over.

“Hindi naman pwedeng lagi na lang kami mamumuhay sa nakaraan, iyong mga masamang nangyari noon kailangan na naming palitan ng bago at masasayang alaala. Second life na namin ito eh, hindi dapat sayangin,” said Cathy Marciliana, one of Reming’s victims. “Masasabi kong mas matatag kami ngayon. Mas matibay na ang paniniwala namin sa Diyos." 
If only the resilient spirit of Albay residents could be matched by the generous hearts of donors, their renewed lives may very well be underway.

Operation Compassion International is a non-stock, non-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to the mission of rebuilding marginalized communities through holistic community-development process and multi-stake holder collaboration.  For more information, contact 433-7207 or 0917-5211414.