Aid For the Philippines: Typhoon Haiyan

The news is replete with devastating accounts from the Philippines, where Typhoon Haiyan has wiped out a huge swath of central Philippines.  The cities of Tacloban and Ormoc were the hardest hit.  Current estimates place the number of dead citizens at at least 2,000, with the number expected to rise.  Some say that about 9.5 million Filipinos have been affected by the typhoon, in 9 regions across the nation.

The extent of the devastation and damage is making it extremely difficult for emergency personnel and all sorts of aid to reach the hard-hit areas.  More details about the typhoon and its aftermath can be found here and here.

If you are interested in donating towards aid efforts in the Philippines, some reliable avenues (as per CharityWatch) of giving can be found here:

• Doctors Without Borders
• World Vision
• Philippine Red Cross
• CARE
• Compassion International
• Salvation Army

Please keep in mind that cash donations are most needed right now; there is no stable infrastructure in place on-the-ground to enable physical resources (like clothing, supplies, bottles of water) to get through to the most-needy.

Most importantly, as you deem appropriate for your children, we encourage you to gather as a family to pray for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan, and the recovery of the Philippines from this awful tragedy.