ERNA CRISOLOGO, 35, IS PROUD TO BE A RICE FARMER.
She grew up in a family of rice farmers and has lived all her life amid rice fields. In addition to the rice paddy surrounding their home, Erna and her husband, Rubén Cabalán, 35, have a small coconut plantation high up on the mountain.
Unfortunately, in December 2021, Typhoon Odette swept through the Philippines leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Erna and Ruben's house in Barangay Capalayan, a rural area outside Surigao City, was completely flattened, along with their rice plants and coconut trees.
Erna took part in livelihood training sessions and received cash assistance to restore her family's livelihoods through the emergency response implemented by Action Against Hunger.
After the typhoon, Erna, Ruben and their daughter Shekanaiah, 8, took shelter in a nearby school that served as an evacuation centre. In the initial days after the storm, their situation was desperate. The centre was overcrowded and families went hungry. It took almost a week for food and other relief items to arrive because the roads were impassable.
With no home to return to, Erna and her family stayed in the evacuation centre for two months. "I was very stressed about our situation," Erna recalls. "Our rice plants were completely destroyed and our coconut trees were damaged. We no longer had a source of income or food."
Fortunately, they found the light at the end of the tunnel. Action Against Hunger donated building materials to Erna's family, which they combined with leftover planks from their old house to build a new home.
Once her family had a roof over their heads, Erna and other typhoon-affected farmers attended training in good agricultural practices and organic vegetable production organised by Action Against Hunger. Erna learned to make and apply organic insecticides and fertilisers and to improve the construction of her dykes.
Erna also participated in financial literacy training and wrote a business plan to access a cash grant of 15,000 pesos. She used the funds to buy tools such as a sprayer for organic fertiliser, a shovel, a raincoat, rubber boots, organic rice seeds, and to pay labour costs for land preparation. "I am very happy and excited to start planting rice again," says Erna.
"I learned that it is very important to save so that you don't go hungry in case of a disaster. We are very grateful that Action Against Hunger gave us funds to restart our business. Now we have no debts to pay and we can start saving immediately."
Erna smiles with satisfaction: "We are doing well now. We're not just doing well, we feel good."
