As climate change intensifies, it is clear that natural disasters continue to become more severe and frequent. One country very prone to natural disasters is the Philippines, where typhoons, earthquakes, landslides, and volcanic eruptions are all common. Rebuilding communities after such disasters often takes years, and recently I got to take part in this work when I volunteered with All Hands and Hearts (AHAH) in Southern Leyte in the Visayas archipelago of the Philippines. AHAH is a disaster relief NGO that has been active in the Philippines since 2007, primarily building classrooms in communities affected by typhoons.
In May 2024, AHAH launched a new typhoon relief program which ultimately led to the construction of six classrooms in two communities in Southern Leyte. These classrooms were designed to be disaster-resilient, and they are built using a cement bamboo frame technology developed by AHAH’s local partner Base Bahay. Much of the work was done by volunteers since AHAH is at its core a volunteer powered organization that mobilizes both local and international volunteers to work alongside local masons and communities. Indeed, this was already my second time with the AHAH, after volunteering with them briefly in 2017 with hurricane relief in Florida.
All Hands and Hearts’s disaster response to Typhoon Odette
Philippines is one of the world’s most typhoon-impacted countries, with approximately 20 typhoons making landfall in the country every year. One of the worst typhoons in recent years was super typhoon Odette, also known as Rai, that made landfall in the Visayas and Mindanao Islands in December 2021. The violent storms, winds and floods had a devastating impact on infrastructure and communities, destroying approximately 1.7 million houses and leaving 2.4 million people in need of assistance. Odette was particularly devastating for the fishing communities, and the impacts of the typhoon can still be seen today.
Southern Leyte was one of the provinces most affected by super typhoon Odette. More than 300 schools suffered significant structural damage with over 500 classrooms destroyed and more than 1500 damaged. However, in 2022 only 20 schools in Southern Leyte were allocated funds for reconstruction by the Department of Education. Hence, there are still communities waiting for new classrooms even years after the disaster, and this is why AHAH is still rebuilding schools in the area. Coming early and staying late is indeed the approach of AHAH, as the NGO sees the importance of responding both to the immediate and long-term needs of communities affected by natural disasters.
The approach of AHAH is to build what the community needs, whether it is classrooms, latrines or other facilities. In 2024, AHAH launched a new program to build two classrooms at Mahayag Elementary School, and the program was eventually expanded to build four classrooms in Sto Niño High School also. AHAH teams also improved WASH facilities in both schools and built a playground in Mahayag. In both communities AHAH also facilitated disaster risk reduction training for the students, teachers, and community members, acknowledging the importance of preparing for future natural disasters.
Disaster-resilient Cement Bamboo Frame Technology
Rebuilding classrooms helps communities recover after a natural disaster, but All Hands and Hearts also aims to prepare communities for the next disaster, knowing another typhoon is bound to come sooner or later. Hence, the schools AHAH has been building in Southern Leyte in the last years have been built using a disaster-resilient technique known as Cement Bamboo Frame Technology (CBFT), developed by AHAH’s Filipino partner organization Base Bahay.
Bamboo is a traditional building material in the Philippines, and bamboo is widely considered a sustainable building material. Bamboo requires little water to grow, absorbs more carbon than hardwood trees, improves soil health and regenerates without replanting. Bamboo also grows rapidly, reaching structural grade in just 3-5 years. All of this makes bamboo an efficient, renewable, and biodegradable building material. When used correctly, bamboo in buildings also contributes to improving the indoor climate in tropical climates such as the Philippines, reducing the need for cooling and improving energy efficiency. Use of local bamboo in construction also supports the livelihood of local farmers.
CBFT, as developed by Base Bahay, is a technique that combines bahareque, a traditional South American building technique, with modern engineering and Filipino traditions. In CBFT, walls are built using panels that have a bamboo structure and steel rib lath on the outside. After foundation construction, a few lines of cement blocks are constructed to start the walls, followed by a concrete beam and then the bamboo wall panels and columns. After assembling the panels, the bamboo columns are filled with concrete to increase their structural strength while still benefitting from the flexibility of the bamboo. Finally, the panels are plastered on the outside where the rib lath was placed to hold the plaster. The roofs of CBFT classrooms built by AHAH also have a bamboo structure.
Combining bamboo and cement in this way makes CBFT buildings stronger and typhoon and earthquake resistant. CBFT buildings are very different from traditional bamboo buildings, but they benefit from the same advantages of bamboo as traditional buildings, such as sustainability and improved indoor climate. CBFT is a clear example of how modern construction technology should not simply replace traditional building techniques and materials, but rather be used to improve them.