Dear Friend,

As the second week of recovery from Typhoon Haiyan begins in the Philippines, World Vision's team of 183 relief staff are working around the clock to address the critical needs of 400,000 people in the hardest-hit areas in eight provinces in central Visayas.

So far, thanks to generous donations from friends like you, at least 10,000 people have received aid from World Vision. We've distributed food and hygiene kits to at least 2,000 families in Tabugon and Daanbatayan, and three shipments of shelter kits, blankets, tarpaulins, and Child-Friendly Space kits have arrived. The next emergency distribution is under way for Ormoc City in the Leyte Province, targeting about 5,500 households.

In the coming weeks and months, World Vision intends to open about 40 Child-Friendly Spaces in areas where emergency food and water have already been distributed. These spaces will provide a safe place for children to resume learning, play, and also emotionally recover from the typhoon and its effects.

We're happy to report that our first Child-Friendly Space is opening today in Tabugon benefiting 400 children.

More than 5 million children were impacted by the typhoon, and many of them been separated from their families. Along with providing life-saving assistance, we are also working hard to ensure that children are accounted for and protected.

Any amount you give today will not only help provide critical aid in places where the need is still urgent, but it will also enable us to open these Child-Friendly Spaces. Please give a gift today to help Typhoon Haiyan's youngest survivors.

"Some children have literally nothing left but the clothes on their back and are living in a devastated landscape, which was once their home," says Yvonne Duque, a health expert for World Vision in the Philippines. "Everything around them, including their safety network, disappeared when the typhoon hit."

If you have already given a gift to help Typhoon Haiyan survivors, I want to personally thank you for your generosity. Please continue to pray for the children and families impacted by this catastrophe.

God bless you,


Rich Stearns
President, World Vision U.S.

P.S. Any gift you can send is appreciated as we continue to respond with life-saving aid like food, water, and shelter, as well as opening Child-Friendly Spaces for the disaster's youngest survivors.