School children, tuberculosis patients and small entrepreneurs will benefit from the recent inauguration of a climate-resilient school building and health facility as well as 100 new sari-sari stores in Tacloban City and other areas in Leyte province.
Deputy Mission Director Reed Aeschliman turn over a school building to
Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez and Leyte 1st district Rep. Ferdinand
Martin Romualdez. VER NOVENO
United States Ambassador Philip S. Goldberg led the inauguration of the projects, which form part of the US government’s over P6.3 billion ($143 million) Typhoon Yolanda assistance implemented through the US Embassy Manila’s United States Agency for International Development Rebuild project.
“The resilience, courage and determination of the people of Leyte to recover and build back better truly inspire all of us. The U.S. government remains committed to restoring normalcy to the lives of affected families and we will continue to work closely with our friends in the Philippines to help rebuild this region better and stronger,” the ambassador said.
Over 1,850 children and teachers in San Fernando Central School will benefit from the eight new classrooms.
The assistance also includes classroom furniture and teaching kits and is part of the U.S. Government’s larger effort to construct and furnish more than 250 classrooms in Tacloban City and Leyte province, which will benefit approximately 30,000 students.
Ambassador Goldberg also inaugurated a two-story health facility at the Tacloban City Health office that will house a tuberculosis treatment clinic.
The new facility, and attendant medical equipment, will benefit about 39,000 residents from 45 barangays. A total of 12 health facilities will be constructed by the U.S. government in partnership with DOH and local government units in areas devastated by Typhoon Yolanda.
“The classrooms and health facilities are designed to be typhoon and earthquake-resilient and are capable of withstanding high velocity winds up to 360 kilometers per hour and an earthquake magnitude 8.5 on the Richter scale,” Deputy Director Aeschliman said.
To help restore the livelihoods of Yolanda survivors, Ambassador Goldberg turned over 100 sari-sari stores to micro-entrepreneurs in Tacloban City and Palo, Leyte. These are among the 1,000 stores that will be constructed and restocked with inventory by USAID in partnership with U.S. companies Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble (P&G).