Turn a shelter into a home
This Christmas, help families who have lost everything create a home where their children can play and feel safe.
This year, our home feels more important than ever. It has become the centre of our world – giving us a place where we feel safe, where we can work and where we can relax with our loved ones.
But what if you didn’t have a home to shelter in?
This is the case for so many families in the Philippines who have faced the triple threat of volcanoes, coronavirus and typhoons this year.
Join us as we take a look at why the Philippines is so vulnerable to disasters and how you can help this Christmas.
What feels like home...
This year has highlighted the importance of home.
Our home is where we feel safe, surrounded by familiar things, our family and our loved ones.
Watch Joanna Lumley, Yinka Bokinni and Steve Backshall talk about what makes them feel like home during Christmas.
Get involved
The Ring of Fire
The Philippines is located on the notorious Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the most disaster-affected areas in the world.
Volcanoes
There are over 450 volcanoes in the ring of fire, including three of the world’s most active volcanoes.
Earthquakes
Lying right on the Eurasian and Pacific tectonic plates, 90% of the world’s earthquakes occur here
Coronavirus
Families displaced by emergencies face the extra risk of coronavirus as they stay in overcrowded refuges.
Typhoons
It is now typhoon season and a major storm could strike at any moment. Families are at risk once again.
A nation at the mercy of nature
Disasters are part of life in the Philippines. Earthquakes, typhoons and volcanic eruptions are regular occurrences.
They destroy homes, crops and livelihoods, leaving a population with high rates of poverty in a desperate situation. Many do not have the means to rebuild their homes.
Right now it is typhoon season in the Philippines. There have already been 26 tropical cyclones, 18 named storms, and 8 typhoons since 8 May.
Donate to our Christmas appeal
As we approach Christmas, typhoon season is in full swing. These terrible storms are building up in the Pacific right now and could strike the Philippines at any minute.
We don’t know which ferocious natural force will hit the country next. But we do know that wherever disaster strikes, we need to be there.
You can give a family an incredible gift this Christmas. You can make sure families have a home, in the Philippines or wherever the need is greatest.
Get crafting
Join us, and communities around the world, in making your own Christmas decorations this year.
In the Philippines families will be busy making parols, a traditional decoration that symbolises the victory of light over darkness. You can make your own parol decoration with our step by step guide, or get creative and make something unique of your own!
Simply choose what you would like to make and donate the money you save. Plus, you could share the cheer by running a decoration competition, organising a community display or hosting an online crafting session!
Whatever you choose to do you will be sharing cheer in your community, whilst raising vital funds to provide shelter to families around the world this Christmas.
