Storm survivors need our prayers

THE Bishop of Oxford has called on Christians to take a long-term approach to prayer and support for the millions affected by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. As an international emergency appeal was launched for the victims of what was thought to be the strongest typhoon ever to hit land, the Rt Revd John Pritchard, said: "This tragedy leads the news for a few days and then disappears but the personal and social reconstruction will take years.

"I trust that our prayers and our giving will reflect the latter timescale rather than the former.

These are brothers and sisters in the human race made in the image of God and loved unconditionally.

May we hold that perspective in the aftermath of this disaster as we support them in every way we can. "Ariel Lanada, Chairman of the Filipino Community of Oxfordshire and a senior charge nurse in intensive care at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital, said there are around 3,000 Filipino people in Oxfordshire alone. As he spoke to the Door he was chatting on-line to his sister back in the Philippines.

Ariel is from the small village of Luag Duenas, where out of 100 houses 63 have been damaged and many families displaced.

"My nephew and my aunt have both had their houses destroyed and are staying in my house in Iloilo city. Immediate need"The immediate need is to get people back into their own homes, to rebuild even just simple, small houses.

We have been advised by the Filipino customs to stop sending anything as the airports are clogged up with donations.

The current needs are financial in terms of helping people reconstruct their homes. " Ariel, who works with around 20 other Filipino nurses in Oxford, said some of their families are more badly affected by the disaster than others. He said: "Thank you to everyone for the prayers, compassion and support you have been giving us since the hurricane struck.

If you wish to make donations please get in contact with us. " He said that once the transport routes clear, DHL Oxford have offered to send supplies of clothing, bedding and non-perishable food to the Philippines for free.

To donate goods or money or email Ariel on chairman@filcom. org. uk.

The organisation will be splitting funds donated between Caritas Philippines and the Philippines Red Cross.

Last week the Disasters Emergency Committee launched an appeal following the storm that is so far estimated to have killed 12,000 people and torn apart the lives of around 4. 3m.

Homes were destroyed or severely damaged and vital transport and communication infrastructures torn apart. Christian Aid and Viva Network, which have offices in Oxford, Habitat for Humanity, based in Banbury and World Vision, which has its head office in Milton Keynes, all have partners in the Philippines who immediately began to assess the damage and make plans to help both the short term relief effort and longer term plans.

In the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan.

Photo Christian Aid Sarah Clay, of the Oxford branch of Christian Aid said: "We have sent three emergency response assessment teams and have partners already there on the ground assessing the damage and working on what needs to be done. " Christian Aid is one of the DEC partners.

For posters, resources and gift aid envelopes for your church call the Oxford office on 01865 246818. RebuildingStefan McNally, from Habitat for Humanity, said the organisation had disaster relief experience from the Asian Tsunami of 2004.

"Our team in the Philippines has extensive capacity and experience. " He said the charity was hoping to help around 30,000 families through shelter repair kits and transitional shelters. " The transitional shelters are temporary structures that canlater be adapted to become permanent homes.

In the last 16 months Habitat has helped more than 42,000 people in the Philippines and once the immediate disaster response is over, will use its Pathways to Permanence programme to rebuild and strengthen the devastated communities. Ensuring lives are savedDavid Thomson, who is Director of Policy and Programmes for World Vision UK and lives in Oxford, said: "In all of what we do we should ensure dignity for the people that we are there to serve, and so it is actually working with people. "What's amazing in these emergencies, I've found over the last 20 years in different parts of the world, is that we see these dreadful pictures on the news but actually people are working together, communities come together, they care for each other and there's lots of capacity already in place that we need to be better at working alongside to ensure lives are saved and to ensure recovery takes place. "Viva Network's partner Philippine Children's Ministries Network is in the Samar province, with the director, Ate Fe Foronda acting as a point person at disaster sites and a government-led committee called the National Child Protection Working Group.

PCMN is taking aid workers to survey the situation and has been commissioned by the Child Protection Government Committee to do a rapid assessment on the state of the children and establish child friendly spaces.

It is also providing trauma counselling and psycho social support for affected children. Finding strengthJustine Demmer, Viva's Network Consultant for the Philippines says, "There are many tears, and the shock is still strong, but the people of God are finding their strength and doing what's needed.

The power of the network and the unity and organisation that flows from their strong, tried and tested relationships is evident in the Samar network and in their response to this crisis. "