She’s taking care of business in the Barangay

What does a barangay health worker do? BHWs, as they're known, take care of community health issues in their small region or town of the Philippines. And this for little pay, but great satisfaction, according to 46-year-old Maricar Eranista.
And what does a barangay health worker do after a typhoon has ripped through her village, damaging homes and contaminating the water supply? The best she can, with what she has left.

Super Typhoon Noru, packing maximum sustained winds of 195 km/h, swept through Quezon and Aurora districts in the Philippines on September 25, 2022. The typhoon affected an estimated 1.4 million people in 1,792 barangays across six regions, wiping out agricultural lands and fisheries, and impacting both physical health and mental health.
When Noru hit, everyone in Marican Eranista's family was safe at home, but part of their roof -- two galvanized iron sheets -- blew off because of the strong winds. The family could not afford repairs.

Maricar has worked as a volunteer barangay health worker for 13 years. To help make ends meet, she takes on odd jobs like drying fish caught by relatives and neighbors. She also tends to a large vegetable garden planted with okra, eggplant, lettuce, cucumbers, and chili peppers, for her family's needs.

Maricar's husband, Elmer, 53, had bone cancer and had to have his leg partially amputated in 2018. He has been unable to work since then, but he helps his wife with the five children and the household chores.

With little resources, they did not know how they would fix the damaged roofing. They laid a wide plastic sheet over the hole and hoped there would no longer be any typhoons until they replaced the lost roofing sheets.

Oxfam Pilipinas and their local partner responded to the needs of the population in Maricar's barangay by distributing cash to affected families. It was Maricar's job along with the other GHWs to ensure that the residents with the greatest needs were included in the program. 

Maricar recalled going house-to-house, interviewing residents on how they were affected and what happened to their homes, belongings, and main sources of livelihood and income to assess the damage inflicted by the typhoon. 

She says that the cash assistance was considered by all who received it as a godsend. "Most of the beneficiaries are farmers whose houses were partially or completely destroyed. They also lost their crops, and six months after the calamity, many of them are still grasping at straws on how to recover," Maricar says. 

Maricar and her family also received cash assistance from the emergency response -- a good thing for a woman who readily turns her attention to the needs of others. "We used the money to fix the roof and to make it more secure," she says.

"I find deep fulfilment in our work," reflects Maricar. "I enjoy helping our community, especially the families with small children, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities. We've built close ties in our community through the years as we've all helped one another through different issues."