We knew about 360 blind children who lived in the path of Super-Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) that struck the central Philippines in November of 2013. After the typhoon, we immediately began contacting the families and identified about 60 to 70 who needed emergency shelter assistance. Many were living under tarpaulins or other shelter made of scrap material

Our first efforts were concentrated on getting these families into safe shelters. After making good progress on that, we started a second project to build permanent, more typhoon-resistant homes far about 20 selected families. Three of the selection criteria are: the level of need, ownership of the land, and parent support for the education of the blind.

We have also completed a project to rebuild or repair the Special Education Centers in 11 of the worst hit schools. These Centers cater to the special needs of students with disabilities and made it possible for the children to be included in regular classes. Because of the level of damage, most schools had to be completely rebuilt

We replaced flattened homes with new concrete hollow blocks homes, our hope is that the roofing will not be lifted off by the winds. The rebuilt Special Education Centers are either one or two classrooms, depending on the number of students with disabilities. The Centers serve as Resource 023 for the students and their trained teachers. They are fully furnished, including the special equipment and materials needed by students with visual impairment.