As the people of Leyte island in the Philippines rebuild their lives after the 2013 typhoon, an aid worker finds that they are benefiting from the aid economy, but for how long?

In November 2013, Typhoon Haiyan – or Yolanda as it’s known in the Philippines – left more than 6,340 dead. Today, every resident of Leyte island could be labeled a survivor, each with their own apocalyptic tale of the storm. I’ve heard people tell me about swimming inside buildings, clinging onto the tops of cars and watching as the roof of their church was torn off.

Two years on, Leyte island has changed. After this degree of destruction, NGOs’ mantra is “build back better”. Communities shouldn’t just be restoring their lives to how they were before, but ensuring that they are protected in the future. This means any rebuilding or enterprise creation shouldn’t just be an exact replica of how things were, but should be more aspirational and forward looking. After all, two years have passed and a lot of development could have occurred in this time if it hadn’t been for the storm.

After having worked in the Philippines for some time, I finally got the chance to visit our projects on the island. Countless NGOs have settled down in Leyte. The island has seen the transition from emergency relief to development aid. Moving from the rapid delivery of relief, such as water and medical supplies, today NGOs are focusing on sanitation and hygiene, building homes and infrastructure and supporting local government units.

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Driving around Leyte, you can see USAid-sponsored family-run food stalls at the side of the road; Samaritan’s Purse tarpaulin covering the roofs of homes. It’s strange to imagine what life must be like surrounded by this kind of branding. In Europe I’m constantly exposed to Coca-Cola adverts and Volvo billboards – instilling the message that the ultimate experiences in life are related to buying and owning things. You are a consumer. Here in Leyte, symbols like the UKAid logo and UNHCR tarp inherently reiterate the relationship of giver and receiver. You are a beneficiary.

Some of the most memorable development activities I learned about on the island were related to open defecation. In order to compel communities to change their behaviours, and stop pooing outdoors, certain NGOs have drawn upon the power of shame and disgust. Two pretty powerful emotions. They actually make community members go to locally known open defecation spots, get them to pick up poo and bring it to the group, where it is looked at and discussed. It’s placed next to food to really drive the point home.

The staff who took part in these activities said the technique was both extremely gross and really effective; an interesting combination! While I don’t know how fair it is to literally make beneficiaries pick up shit, it makes sense that creating a change in belief and behaviour is necessary for long-term shifts. But in reality these people will carry on pooing outside if they or their neighbours don’t have a toilet. So this activity, to really work, has to be carried out alongside the building of latrines.



Beyond this carefully choreographed, million-dollar shit collection project, economic development is another visible post-Yolanda achievement. But this hasn’t been a direct result of NGO projects or governmental initiatives. It’s been a more indirect consequence; the mass influx of international organisations, with international staff, has injected international cash into Tacloban city. Snazzy boutique hotels, cafes with exposed brick walls and Italian restaurants have sprung up there, serving the expatriate and middle-class masses. Leyte is also home to a pop-up bar and a music festival. Is having access to a flat white or a thin-crust pizza really a good example of “build back better”?

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I can’t criticise growth. Money is one of the most reliable means of lifting people out of poverty, but I’m concerned that this particular path to cash is unsustainable. The usual transition after an emergency goes from humanitarian work to development aid, but what happens when funds disappear and donor attentions shift? What comes after development? Will fancy hotels really be necessary when NGO managers with travel stipends stop visiting? Will locals be willing to pay five times the sum of a normal meal for an American-style breakfast?



Huge programmes across Leyte, such as those led by Unicef, are shrinking and some NGO offices are closing. With this, not only will international cash evaporate but so too will job opportunities for many of the middle classes. It isn’t only westerners who take up NGO posts in regions like Leyte – local staff are integral and represent a large percentage of the workforce. Providing staff with this work experience and exposure is clearly a good thing, which will be helpful as they pursue other income generating opportunities, but the exit of these NGOs will not only be impacting project beneficiaries but those national members of staff too – I guess you could consider them employment beneficiaries.

People have moved from the rural areas into the outer regions of cities like Tacloban in an attempt to profit from this growth too. But many of these people have built their tin homes in official no-build zones, places at risk of flooding that would be the first to get damaged if another storm were to strike. The expanding opportunities for work in the city, with day labour jobs and potential employment as security guards, McDonald’s cashiers or trike drivers, are worth the risk of building on flood prone areas for many.



Leyte strikes me as an aid experiment. One which we should keep an eye on when the funding stops as there might be another kind of shit which needs clearing up after the cappuccino consumers have gone.



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