International Relief Managers are trained volunteers who serve for three to six months at a time to help coordinate disaster response activities. While they receive a stipend to cover their living expenses, they are not paid for their time. The first IRMs in the Philippines are completing their term and a new set will soon depart to take their place.
In mid-February, Dwayne Nienhuis from Holland, Michigan will be taking over tasks from Bernie Schaaf of Tinley Park, Illinois in Guiuan municipality on Samar Island. At the same time, John and Hilda Van Gyssel of Elmira, Ontario will take over from Harry and Greta Harsevoort of Hamilton, Ontario in Capiz province on Panay Island. Later, in early March, Ron and Lauris Fuller of Nanaimo, British Columbia will take over from Harry and Annie Bergshoeff of Mississauga, Ontario in the Tacloban area of Leyte Island.
Bernie, Harry, Annie, Harry and Greta have been in the Philippines for several months working with local partners to distribute a first phase of emergency food and non-food items to typhoon survivors, set up office space, identify target communities and implement the second phase of World Renew’s response.
The IRMs will be putting in long hours and sometimes, they will have no electricity and be unable to communicate with loved ones back home. Despite these hurdles, the volunteers feel that their work is worth it.
This second phase included the distribution of community generators, which has meant that communities are safer and they have a power source with which to conduct many community activities. Many villages have also received single-burner stoves and tanks, kitchen kits, hygiene items, mosquito nets and sleeping mats. Some villages will soon be receiving supplies that were delayed as a result of smaller cyclones that hindered transportation. This second phase also included the establishment of community-based trauma counseling. After this extensive work, these current IRMs are now ready to return to their families.
When Dwayne, John, Hilda, Ron and Lauris replace these five as IRMs they will conclude phase two of the response and also begin working on phase three. This will involve working in coastal areas to provide boats and nets to fishermen whose livelihoods have been wiped out. The provision of community-based trauma counseling will also continue.
“We are looking forward expectantly to the privilege of working alongside the Typhoon Haiyan survivors as they process their profound losses and build hope for the future. Building on the foundation of IRMs that have gone before us, we anticipate focusing on livelihoods, (fishing boats and agricultural activities), psycho-social support programs and permanent shelters” explains Lauris Fuller.
The IRMs will do all this by putting in long hours, and living far away from their children and grandchildren for months at a time. Sometimes, they will have no electricity and be unable to communicate with loved ones back home. But despite these hurdles, the volunteers feel that their work is worth it.
“Some people ask why we do this work as IRMs,” explains Hilda. “Others wish they were at the stage of life that they could do this. We are just honoured and thankful that God has blessed us with the desire to help others and enabled us with the ability to assist those in need.”
“When I first heard the news of Typhoon Haiyan in November, my first two thoughts were of the terrible impact on tens of thousands of people, and secondly my automatic response was to want to go there and help in whatever way that I could be of service. In a way that is probably how IRMs always react,” added Dwayne.
World Renew is grateful for its entire roster of IRMs who serve with us around the world when disasters strike. We praise God for the work accomplished by those in the Philippines and ask Him to provide safety, wisdom, and discernment to those who are soon to arrive.