On Saturday April 5 2013, Jodi St. Maria visited a community dramatically affected by Typhoon Yolanda. WHO Philippines has been running a campaign – Health at the Heart of Healing – to remind people to continue to support those recovering from the devastation of the Typhoon. Jodi St. Maria has supported this campaign since the beginning
The small town of Hernani was one of the worst affected communities in the region: homes, schools, hospitals and businesses were destroyed and hundreds of lives lost. Today Hernani is slowly getting back to normal. Jodi was a pre-med student and she has a young son of her own and she went to express her support for the community and help spread positive health messages.
Jodi said, “I was really moved by stories of what it was like when the Typhoon struck and how people have been rebuilding their lives. I met the mothers of young babies and new mothers expecting babies in the coming months. We shared stories about our hopes for our children and ways to protect their health through breast feeding, making sure they get their vaccinations and encouraging everyone to wash their hands and be careful to use only clean water.”
Jodi helped lift spirits, “I came to Hernani to help spread some important health messages and to encourage people to dance and sing and forget their worries just for a while. One little girl was such a lovely singer we even sang a duet together with the whole community joining in.”
Reflecting on her visit Jodi concluded, “It was really interesting to see WHO staff from all over the world working together with the Philippine Department of Health. It’s remarkable to see how such an unfortunate situation can bring out the best in people. I was really touched and grateful for the care that the international community has shown for our country.”
WHO Representative to the Philippines, Dr. Julie Hall said, “We were delighted Jodi wanted to see for herself the impact of Typhoon Yolanda. WHO has been working alongside the Department of Health (DoH) and partners who have joined us from around the world. We have been striving to ensure all those affected – particularly the poorest and most marginalised – are able to rebuild their lives. WHO coordinated over 150 foreign medical teams in the immediate response to Yolanda; has helped DoH roll out a vaccination campaign across the Yolanda affected areas to protect children against disease; and has now mapped and identified where people most need repaired or new health facilities.”
She went on to say, “WHO Philippines is very concerned that there are 220,000 pregnant women in Yolanda affected areas and we are working hard to make sure families have access to the hospitals and clinics they need. We are asking all families to make sure they look after their own health by using clean water and taking their children for the check-ups and vaccinations they need to stay healthy. At a time of great stress it is important to look out for one another and for us all to put health at the heart of healing.”