Kimboy is back in school
Kimboy, 4 years old, is one of the pre-schoolers in the town of Concepcion who returned to school when it reopened this January. Prior to typhoon Haiyan, he used to have around 30 classmates but now their numbers have dwindled to 13.
Once class is over for the day, together with his classmates, Kimboy immediately dashes straight to the nearby playground. Children take turns using the see-saw and swing. The dilapidated playground has sprung to life- a little piece of heaven that survived the typhoon's wrath.
"Our classroom managed to survive, families living nearby evacuated here when the storm came and we all hid here when the floods came. But the other structures around us all lost their roofs," shares daycare teacher Violeta.
A teacher for more than 20 years, Violeta laments that the low turnout reflects parents’ inability to scrape together a few dollars.
"Most of the families living here lost their livelihood. Sending their children back to school is the least of their worries as they're busy tending to whatever's left of their farms in order to restore their livelihoods," Violeta says.
Kimboy's family is just one of the thousands who were heavily affected after typhoon Haiyan destroyed their village. His family is among those who qualified under World Vision's unconditional cash transfer program. While at the playground he's waiting for his mom who is queuing in the distribution area near the daycare center.
"Our house was damaged. I'm now in debt from house repairs. We're really on a tight budget and I'm afraid that this will be our dilemma in the coming months. The rest of my savings went to replacing some of the school materials that my children need for school," shares Victoria Sombito, Kimboy’s mother.
Because of her family’s need, Victoria Sombito was one of nearly 500 people selected in her community to receive cash from World Vision to help make ends meet.
Cash for disaster-affected families
Under World Vision's Cash Transfer Program, disaster-affected families receive $60 cash assistance to help provide for their food needs while they recover from the storm. In areas like Victoria's village where the markets are already functional and accessible, giving families cash assistance also help stimulate the local economy. People can already use cash to pay for the supplies and services within the community.
"I'm grateful for the money that I received and I will use this to buy our food and pay for the daily expenses for my three children who all go to school. It's so hard to stretch cash nowadays but I don't want to stop sending them to school. This is a big help for my family." Victoria adds.
The process of cash disbursements is facilitated by World Vision's Last Mile Mobile Solutions which helps fast track cash distributions in communities. Sign-ups and verification are facilitated through identification cards that are digitally scanned using smartphones.
"In other relief assistance in the past it took us almost a day before we get our relief goods. But here, it’s fast and efficient - like getting money from the local remittance center. I have lots of errands for the day so after I take Kimboy home I still have time to clean the house and do laundry," Victoria exudes before fetching Kimboy from the playground and heading home.