The morning after the typhoon, Lilia, her husband, and their granddaughter returned to find their home destroyed. There was no roof. The water was more than 3 feet deep. They had no food. They slept on sheets of plywood underneath a table. They lived in the water-filled house for days…

Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines in November 2013, causing widespread catastrophic damage. 6,300 people died. 1.1 million homes were destroyed. 4.1 million people were displaced. 5.9 million workers lost their source of income.

Lilia and her family live in Sulangan, a small fishing community in Eastern Samar. Lilia makes and peddles putong bigas – rice cakes – for a living.

They were fortunate enough to seek refuge at a nearby church, bringing only a change of clothes and flashlights in preparation for the storm.

“When we came home the morning after the typhoon, our house was totally damaged, as if it was bombarded by dynamite.”

Build Change helped Lilia’s family rebuild their home. Lilia was empowered to lead in every step of the process. She worked directly with the engineers and carpenters. She purchased her own building materials with a grant from partner Cordaid. We provided our engineering expertise and technical assistance to ensure that Lilia, and her family would be safe in their new home.

She knows her family is safe now, even in the case of another typhoon. She even plans to invite her neighbors into her home during the next storm. She wants to help others, just like we have helped her.

You can give a family like hers the gift of a safe home this holiday season.

We are working in 6 countries around the world to help families rebuild after disasters and to strengthen homes before disasters. We are preventing damage from catastrophes, like Typhoon Haiyan and the Nepal Earthquake, but we need your support.

We envision a world where every family lives in a home that will protect them.

Help us achieve our goal. You can save lives.