Sister Maria Lani has been delivering vital supplies to communities affected by typhoons in the Philippines. As extreme weather continues to worsen around the world, many Sisters find themselves on the frontline of the fight against climate change.
“We travelled the very next day, and we arrived at our destination after 10 hours of travelling by land. Our first destination was a relocation centre in Guinobatan, Albay. The houses of the survivors were covered by mud flow from the Mayon Volcano and nothing was left of them. We coordinated the distribution of relief goods, food, clothing, etc. We spoke to some survivors and they said: We are homeless, we lost loved ones, and lost our means of livelihood. More than material things, they also yearned for emotional and spiritual healing. Our second destination was in Tiwi, Albay, where typhoon Rolly made second landfall. Thousands of families have lost their homes and are in need of basic goods and infrastructure. We started the distribution of relief goods, while in another area we gave out cooked food, clothing and masks. Even though we ended the day tired from distributing relief goods, the smile and heartfelt gratitude of people for the small things they received made us joyful in serving them.”