How are the child survivors of Typhoon Yolanda faring now?

So, when Rivero returned from his first trip to the Philippines, he connected with one of his best friends and partner in performing, Rob Boothe. Together, they discovered Streetlight Philippines, an organisation that supports and causes children who are from the streets or have left their homes for numerous reasons.

“People have made sacrifices for me. It is my opportunity to share what I can with those in need,” says Rivero.

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In 2007, the team created a talent show and sports festival named Pagpasabot with Streetlight Philippines as a way for children to express themselves and perform on the stage for others to see. After weeks of workshops, rehearsals, and culture sharing, children would learn how to become performing artists and gain more self-esteem or self-expression using music, movement, fitness, and adapted physical activities.

For many of these children who have never had any form of structured activities, it was an opportunity to show the citizens of Tacloban City (and the rest of the world) that regardless of their socio-economic background, they are incredibly talented, intelligent, and beautiful.

“After I started my project in 2007, the kids in the streets, like family, threw a surprise going away party for us. And I was just floored,” says Rivero. “I broke down hard. It was a mixture of emotions. One of them was guilt—I’m leaving people behind. I [just] had this incredible experience in the Philippines.”

And he did come back. He has been doing so every after two years.

A month before Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) struck the country in 2013, Rivero and the rest of the team stayed in Tacloban. They left after implementing their initiatives with Streetlight Philippines, which were focused on trauma-informed care.

He co-authored a book titled My Name is Trauma with his wife, Paula Audrey Rivero, a registered social worker and certified trauma specialist. It aims to inform children about trauma in an imaginative way using an illustration of a tiger that wakes up when triggered.

Super Typhoon Yolanda

Tragedy struck when Typhoon Yolanda wreaked havoc across the border. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), “More than 8,000 people lost their lives and over 14 million inhabitants, including 5.9 million workers, were affected in some way by the storm.”

To make matters worse, the children weren’t exempt from the casualties. Based on a study from Cebu Normal University, the children experienced temporary mental trauma. “They were afraid that the typhoon would recur in their place, and [they would] suffer the same experience again.”

Recovery for the Balikbayan team means creating resilience for play. They just did what they have been doing in the past, but now with renewed vigour. They conducted sensory-based activities, which included art, music, yoga, dance (modern and Filipino), and, most importantly, play, which was the heart of the workshop. “Since trauma is experienced at a sensory level and stored as implicit memory, it’s the body that remembers,” says Paula Rivero. 

“Creating a space to laugh and play helped us to have a safe place to share deep emotions and be vulnerable,” she adds.

The Balikbayan team also included simple mind-body strategies such as breathwork and guided imagery with the use of aromatherapy to help with emotional regulation, as well as incorporated pattern repetitive movements since repetition allows for the formation of new neuronal connections that help make lasting changes in the brain.

The activities were a nice balance of positivity and emotional exercise. There is movement, good energy and vibes. But some parts went into the heart of what happened—and these children allowed themselves to experience that range of emotions with the community.

It’s difficult to understand the trauma the children have. But it is everyone’s role not merely to deal with them but also to care for them. And that is precisely what the Balikbayan and Streetlight Philippines did and continue to do.

The aftermath

In 2020, Rivero released a documentary titled Balikbayan: From Victims to Survivors, which premiered at the 2020 Edmonton International Film Festival (EIFF). It was also screened in November 2023 in the Philippines with the support of the Embassy of Canada to the Philippines, the Norwegian Embassy in Manila, and the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP).

The documentary was proof of the hard work of their team, from the workshops to the relationships with Streetlight Philippines and the children they came to care for.

One kid was named Marvin. He has been with the Balikbayan team for years, participating in the activities, and is now a police officer of the Philippine National Police. He was brought to the team in a police car and is now driving it to visit them.

Another one was Kenneth, who Rivero remembered had asked him to stand in as a father figure for his scouts’ presentation in 2009. “He was around 16 to 17, and his peers were in kindergarten. There was no shame in him, only pride,” Rivero fondly recalls.

“Family is a keyword we as an organisation, we as an orphanage (we hate that word, but that’s what it’s called) [commit to]. We can never replace a family,” the Balikbayan team says. “We can never be the substitute for family, and orphanages are not a good thing. That being said, we do our utmost to be like a family.”

One of their missions in the orphanage is to restore the children’s faith in family life. Such cannot be done with just words. It has to be experienced as well. And that’s what the Balikbayan Project and Streetlight Philippines will always be there for.

Make a difference by lending a hand. Visit balikbayanproject.com and streetlight.org for more information.

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