Philippines
- The Canadian Red Cross and Philippine Red Cross partnership
- Partnership in action: Support in the Philippines
- Help us advance efforts in the Philippines
Building resilience through collaboration: The Canadian Red Cross and Philippine Red Cross partnership
(Photo credit: Alanah Torraldo / IFRC)
The Philippines is among the top countries in the world today facing significant vulnerability to natural disasters because of its geographical location.
Located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, the region is prone to volcanic eruptions due to frequent seismic activity, and is often exposed to typhoons, earthquakes, floods, landslides, and tsunamis that cause widespread damage. With a growing population and more than half of its territory exposed to multiple dangers, the country’s resources, infrastructure, and most importantly its people, are at constant risk.
When disasters strike these communities, homes are destroyed, livelihoods are lost, and families are devastated and displaced. People then face the daunting task of rebuilding their lives from scratch, often with limited resources and support. Access to clean water, food, and medical care becomes difficult, increasing the risk of illness and malnutrition, particularly among vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly.
Having to endure repeated disasters takes a heavy toll on people’s mental health, leaving individuals to cope with the psychosocial impact of climate change. This cycle of devastation and recovery becomes a harsh reality for many Filipinos, emphasizing the urgent need for inclusive and robust disaster preparedness and response efforts.
Red Cross humanitarian initiatives play a critical role in effectively responding to challenges faced by people across the region. Through support in the form of shelter, food, aid, clean water, medical assistance, and psychosocial support to cope with the impact of disasters, we help the Philippine Red Cross address immediate and long-term needs at the individual and societal level.
Partnership in action: Support in the Philippines
(Photo credit: Diana Coulter / Canadian Red Cross)
The Canadian Red Cross has a long history of partnering with the Philippine Red Cross National Society on initiatives that enhance disaster preparedness, response, and recovery within local communities.
Since its integration into the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in 1948, the Philippine Red Cross has been a driving force behind the reliable implementation of Red Cross relief, healthcare, and welfare assistance in the country. As the Philippine’s largest humanitarian organization, core programs encompass a wide range of supports from healthcare services to disaster management and relief, safety and social services, youth support, and international humanitarian law dissemination.
The Canadian Red Cross works with Philippines Red Cross to implement community-based disaster preparedness and primary health care projects. These initiatives strengthen disaster preparedness capacity and local health systems.
In 2013, after the catastrophic impact of Typhoon Haiyan, the Canadian Red Cross scaled up its support to the region. Thanks to support from the Government of Canada, we were able to respond immediately by sending a mobile field hospital and a team of highly trained humanitarian experts to provide critical life-saving care to affected populations.
Following this emergency response, the Canadian Red Cross trained Philippine Red Cross staff and volunteers and donated the field hospital, including critical equipment and locally procured essential medical and technical supplies. This has helped Philippine Red Cross provide basic health care within communities of up to 30,000 people in an emergency. Philippine Red Cross trained staff later supported regional responses in Nepal in 2015 and Bangladesh in 2017, increasing the region’s ability to respond to emergencies.
The Canadian Red Cross has also worked with Red Cross Movement partners to implement projects such as providing early recovery support and building community resilience among people impacted by Typhoon Haiyan in the Visayas, through reconstruction, water and sanitation facilities, livelihood support, and violence prevention and psycho-social support.
Our team has additionally helped implement a disaster preparedness & community resilience program aimed at strengthening communities’ capacity to respond to future disasters. This was achieved in collaboration and consultation with local partners, through enhancing the local Red Cross chapter’s ability to engage local communities and build awareness in health and disaster risk reduction.
Water, sanitation and hygiene readiness project
The Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Readiness Project, a partnership project being implemented between Philippine Red Cross and Canadian Red Cross, is geared towards assisting marginalized and vulnerable communities within the Haiyan-affected provinces of Biliran, Negros Occidental, and Cebu, including rural and Indigenous communities.
With the aim of combating WASH-related illnesses, this hands-on initiative involves conducting basic emergency WASH training for staff and volunteers, prepositioning items such as hygiene and menstrual hygiene kits in regional warehouses and enhancing existing WASH hubs in the region. Additionally, we assess and rehabilitate these facilities in schools and communities, promote province-wide hygiene activities through field visits and inspections, and integrate Protection, Gender, and Inclusion principles.
Our overall partnership with the Philippine Red Cross touches every aspect of community wellbeing and prioritizes the community as the focal point leading these initiatives. This helps us make significant strides in transformative grassroots level projects that are inclusive, accessible, sustainable, scalable, and replicable.
Help us advance efforts in the Philippines
The best way to support Canadian Red Cross programming in countries like the Philippines is to make a donation to the International Program Fund.
Donate to the International Disaster Relief Fund
Your gift helps us establish health care and water and sanitation programs and contributes to making families and communities more resilient against future disasters, climate crisis or conflict situations. Your donation allows us to help prevent, prepare for, and alleviate the suffering of those impacted by disasters and crises by responding to humanitarian needs, promoting community agencies to address humanitarian crises, strengthening local capacity, and investing in preparedness. Your support will contribute to building more resilient communities in areas around the world.
Read more about how International Program Fund donations have helped Canadian Red Cross deliver programming around the world.