A report from Albay, Philippines
"A Single Drop" brings survivors H2Ope
By Gemma Bulos
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permanent relocation centers, conditions are even more challenging. In the schools, most evacuees are living in a building with a
relatively strong infrastructure, whereas the relocation centers were built hastily and are generally overcrowded. In the aftermath,
respiratory- and water-related illnesses have plagued the communities, and there is now an outbreak of dengue fever in the
province.
"Bringing People H2ope" is a program of A Single Drop for SafeWater (ASDSW), our Philippine non-governmental organization
that provides water technologies to ensure safe water for the poorest of the poor. A sister office of the U.S.-based A Single Drop,
ASDSW opened in September. We are working in the rehabilitation efforts in the Albay Province as well as in the other island
regions of the Philippines. We just launched a project in partnership with UNICEF, U.S. Peace Corps, Aquins University (AU),
Department of Health-Regional Office (DOH) and the Albay Disaster Relief Network (ADRN). Our project, "Water for Albay Typhoon
Emergency Relief" (W.A.T.E.R) focuses on transferring technologies for safewater access to local organizations that will have
longterm impact and emergency preparedness components as opposed to immediate relief that is temporary and not
sustainable. We trained ADRN and AU in the BioSand Filter Technology (BSF), in addition to training the Local Government Unit
(LGU) municipal engineers to build small water systems. BioSand Filters are household water treatments that remove 95-100% of
biological contaminants and can be built locally using local resources and requiring no energy. We also conducted an engineer
training to help the local governments design small community water systems, since many systems were either damaged by the
disasters, or never existed in the first place. We specifically chose these organizations because they are established in Albay
Province and have the capacity to conduct outreach in order to help the community heal.
The main part of the grant was to install BioSand filters into the schools that were damaged by the typhoon and now serve as the
evacuation centers, the lifeline for the survivors. On March 22, in celebration of World Water Day, we installed the first of 100 filters
into these schools/evacuation centers. We had an inaugural ceremony and launched a sixmonth nationwide water campaign for
the Prom-Ocean of Peace and Equity through Safe Water. This campaign will create the first Country-wide Million Voice Youth
Choir on September 21, in celebration of the International Day of Peace, to encourage youth to take a leading role in protecting and
preserving their water resources. With these evacuee children, who truly know the value of water since they have been in lack of it, it
was the perfect way to celebrate World Water Day. We sang, "We Rise" ("Tayo Na" in Tagalog), the theme song of the Million Voice
Choir International Peace Movement, and now the Philippine Youth Water Advocacy Campaign. I wrote this song in response to
the World Trade Center bombing (9/11). I was supposed to be in the building when the first plane hit. The sentiment of "We Rise"
expresses our power to rise from tragedy and work together to heal. I went to four schools/evacuation centers and over 1,000
children sang the song along with me. The teachers came up to me afterwards and said that some of the children were getting
goosebumps while singing. The song struck a chord with many of them because they are still healing from the loss of family,
friends, homes and material belongings. So needless to say, it was a moving day for everyone.
In the next three weeks, 100 filters will be installed in over 30 schools, providing safe water for thousands of evacuees and
students not only for immediate relief but year round. As we continue our fund-raising efforts, we can begin to reach out to the 468
schools that were damaged, not to mention the daycare and health centers. Our work continues as we are also partnered with
OXFAM, Plan International, the Canadian Embassy, along with numerous NGOs all over the country. We've started over 20 projects
and already thousands of people are being impacted with safe water. Some in areas of conflict (Autonomous Region of Muslim
Mindanao, ARMM), areas in disaster rehabilitation (South Leyte, Mountain Province, Bicol), and of course regions with high
incidence of water related diseases. In addition, we are offering the BSF workshops to provide vocational training to out-of-school
youth. We are also working with multipurpose co-operatives to add BSFs as another service for their community, and our Women
WaterKeepers Program focuses on making the technology available to women. Our workshop also provides training on creating
BSF projects as livelihoods for income generation to ensure financial sustainability.
Based on the concept that "it takes a single drop of water to start a wave," we believe that it takes one thought, one action, and
one person to make a difference. We focus on simple acts that can have a great impact and we inspire unified action to sustain it. I
learned a great deal in Albay, as well as in other areas where I have been honored to assist in relief work, such as in the Gulf
Coast after the Hurricanes and India after the Tsunami. The great lessons that we learn from our surviving sisters and brothers
who have endured such hardship, is that humans have an unbreakable and invincible spirit. And because they have been able to
live through such devastation, gives us an opportunity to reveal the best in all of us. For Filipinos, one of the most powerful things
that brings healing and hope to the country is music. In the midst of it all, they still sing. And beautifully at that.
Gemma Bulos is the founder of A Single Drop, and architect, Million Voice Choir. She can be reached at: U.S. +1.917.497.1094;
Phil. +63.920.840.0945; SKYPE: gemmabelle
In the short span of just two months,
the Bicol Region, namely the Province of
Albay, was devastated by two of the
most powerful typhoons to hit the
Philippines in 20 years. To make
matters worse, Mount Mayon, an active
volcano that serves as one of the most
beautiful backdrops in Albay's
landscape, had been simmering since
August and erupted between the
typhoons' rampage. Its devastation was
only second to the eruption of Mt.
Pinatubo back in the '90s. With the
combination of Typhoon Milenya in
October, Typhoon Reming in November,
and Mt. Mayon's eruption in between,
this battered community has endured
some of the worst natural disasters in
the history of the
(Above) A group of women tries their
hands on the water biosand filter
technology; (left photos) training, the
makeshift tents and school house and
young kids at play
Philippines. This region is considered the most disaster prone region in all of
Southeast Asia, and the most shocking part of this is that it wasn't even typhoon
season when these typhoons struck.
Villages were virtually wiped out, thousands died and tens of thousands were left
homeless in the wreckage. The first relief efforts, spearheaded by international
humanitarian organizations to aid the national government, have been working
tirelessly to bring relief to the communities. However, the magnitude of the destruction
hampered relief operations. Evacuation areas and temporary relocation centers were
set up swiftly and more often than not, with the worst sanitary conditions: few toilets
being shared by thousands of people, no access to water, and no safe water to drink.
Schools that would normally serve a couple of hundred children were turned into
evacuation centers, and in most cases, still are. In some schools-turned-evacuation
centers, there are over 250 families living in classrooms and makeshift and donated
tents sharing the same facilities along with the students while school is in session. In
some of the temporary and