Last December, Christmas was so hard for the families in Eastern Samar after facing the damage caused by Typhoon Ruby or Hagupit. This was just a year after they recovered from Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) that caused the lives of some residents and their livelihood. The help coming from various non-government organizations (NGOs) continue to come along with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) that will help them not only to recover but also to rebuild their livelihood and homes.
Recently, last February 4 the United Nations World Food Programme (UN WFP) extended their help to the 6, 700 families or roughly 33, 000 people of Eastern Samar particularly the municipalities of Can-Avid, Dolores, Jipapad and Talf who faced great damage in their homes and livelihood last year. WFP provided a one-time add-on amount of Php 2, 600 to be added in their payout in the DSWD’s social safety net program called Pantawid Pamilyang Filipino Program or 4Ps.
Dolores is one of the municipalities that received their payout last Feb 4 with the help of the multi-purpose cooperative the Samar Multi-Purpose Cooperative (SAMICO) while DSWD and WFP are observing the process.
Aside from the cash assistance, DSWD and WFP are helping the families through food assistance in areas in Eastern Samar, Northern Samar and Western Samar.