After catastrophic flooding, Eden is back in business

Eden woke up early each morning to prepare kakanin, traditional Filipino sweets and snacks made from rice. Working in a makeshift kitchen under a grove of bamboo in Nabua, Eden cooked her kakanin in a borrowed steamer over a charcoal stove. She's worked hard to perfect her cooking skills so that she can sell her delicacies in her sari-sari store and build a better life for her two daughters.

Thanks to Eden's entrepreneurship, she could provide for her family and afford occasional treats, like toys or a fast-food meal after church on Sunday. "For me, these simple things served as little rewards for the hard work and sacrifices we made each day," Eden said. 

When Severe Tropical Storm Trami, also known as Kristine, started gathering near the Philippines, Eden wanted to be prepared. "I packed our clothes in large plastic bags and bought the necessary food supplies," she recalled. She also brought her daughters to a relative's house to wait out the storm in relative safety.

Eden and her husband returned home to check on their belongings, but they never imagined that their house would be totally submerged. "The water reached the windows, and the current was extremely strong. It felt like our entire neighbourhood had turned into a sea," she said. The couple had to escape their flooded neighbourhood in a leaky paddle boat.

After the flood, Eden's family returned to a home filled with a thick layer of mud that took months to clear out. Worse still, Eden's kitchen under the bamboo was completely destroyed. A question kept running through Eden's mind: "How will we rise again after all the damage left behind by Kristine?" Without her kitchen, she couldn't make a living selling kakanin.

Help came in the form of emergency cash support from Oxfam Canada, with funding from the Humanitarian Coalition and the Government of Canada. Eden immediately bought a set of steamers, a propane stove and groceries. With this, she could feed her family and restart her business.

Eden also joined a learning session on gender roles, violence against women and children, and disaster preparedness. She appreciated that the sessions covered how to help relatives, friends and neighbours if they're in a dangerous situation. "I learned a lot," Eden said. "Now, I won't hesitate to face any issue involving abuse if it ever comes my way."

Eden admitted that life hasn't yet returned to how things were before the storm. Her income is lower than it used to be, and she needs to be much more frugal. Despite what she's been through, Eden has stayed positive. She's thankful that her family stayed safe during the storm and that she was able to get back to making kakanin for her community.