Counseling Needed By Yolanda Survivors, Doctor Says

School desks serve as makeshift clinic for Dr.  John Tabije (standing)
 and Jacob Macarilay,  nurse, at a Tacloban City evacuation site. 

Dr. Demy Reyes  and  Dr. Pan Callanta (below)  treat 
 Yolanda survivors  amid the rubble left by the super storm.

“Yolanda survivors need counselling the most at this point,” said Dr. John Tabije after completing a medical mission trip to Tacloban.  “Several groups are already attending to basic medical needs.  What’s needed  now is people who will help them deal with the trauma.”

Dr. John was part of a team of three doctors and two nurses sent by the Center for Community Transformation Group of Ministries (CCT) to Tacloban two weeks after the city was devastated by Super Typhoon Yolanda.  “We treated people with open wounds, mostly from stepping on nails or broken glass, or after being hit by flying roofing sheets. We brought a child with asthma to the hospital. We put a broken limb in a cast and gave anti-tetanus shots. But a lot of medical teams were also in the area. What survivors need at the moment is someone who can help deal with their losses, help them face the future,” he said. 

The CCT team partnered with the office of Vice Mayor Jerry Yaokasin in bringing medical treatment to survivors in evacuation centers in the city proper, to students of the World Evangelical Bible College in the neighboring town of Dulag, and to residents of Brgy. Talolora, Tanauan. 

“Another major need is transportation,” Doc John pointed out. “Relief supplies are piling up.  Volunteer drivers and trucks are needed to transport these to villages that have yet to receive any form of help. Sick survivors have to be brought to the hospital." Most vehicles in the city were rendered useless by the storm surge brought about by the Signal # 4 typhoon. "Even the vice mayor has to walk 45 minutes from his home to the city hall.”   

Doc John said that temporary shelter such as tents was also in short supply. 

CCT was just beginning to introduce its savings mobilization program in Tacloban when the storm struck. It also has operations in Palawan, Iloilo, Capiz, and Mindoro, provinces that were also hit by Yolanda.

Ruth Callanta, CCT president and founder, said, "We enjoin friends and ministry partners to join us in the long-term work of helping our community partners rebuild their homes and lives."

Should you want to donate, the following are CCT’s bank details:

               

Bank :  Metropolitan Bank and Trust Company – Kamagong-Sampaloc, Makati Branch

Bank Account Name :  Center for Community Transformation 

Peso Account Number :  501-3-501-90126-2

US Dollar Account Number :  501-2-501-20008-0

Swift Code :  MBTCPHMM

In the Philippines, please get in touch with Ms. Penny Lim at 0933-2618809 for queries or more information. 

If you are US-based, please visit philippines.causevox.com to make a donation. 

Photos: Pastor Ed Gomez