0:00:09 > 0:00:12It was the biggest storm ever.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14It devastated lives all across these islands.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17I've come to the Philippines to find out for Newsround
0:00:17 > 0:00:21how children are coping after Typhoon Haiyan.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28Typhoon Haiyan slammed into the Philippines.
0:00:28 > 0:00:36Winds as strong as 200mph tore homes apart piece by piece.
0:00:36 > 0:00:41Thousands of people were killed, millions more left homeless.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44The islands of Leyte and Cebu were hardest hit.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46I travelled to Cebu
0:00:46 > 0:00:49to see how children are dealing with the disaster.
0:00:49 > 0:00:51So, we've arrived in Cebu City,
0:00:51 > 0:00:54and it is reassuring to see that life is getting back to normal.
0:00:54 > 0:00:59People are heading home after work, kids heading home from school.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03Shops are open, people are selling food on market stalls.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06But just a few kilometres from here, it is a different story,
0:01:06 > 0:01:09and although this area wasn't hit badly,
0:01:09 > 0:01:13we're heading to meet some people who are doing their bit to help.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19This is the biggest warehouse in Cebu,
0:01:19 > 0:01:22and it's where all the supplies come in.
0:01:22 > 0:01:23People bag them up and they get sent out
0:01:23 > 0:01:25to some of the worst-affected areas,
0:01:25 > 0:01:29like Tacloban, which is about a two-hour boat ride from here.
0:01:29 > 0:01:34It's noisy, it's busy. It's open 24 hours a day.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38And you'll notice one thing - all the volunteers are children or teenagers.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42How long are you working here tonight?
0:01:42 > 0:01:44Cos you've been at school today.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47Yes, we have been at school today for at least half a day,
0:01:47 > 0:01:50because two hours will be in here,
0:01:50 > 0:01:53and it is our pleasure - we are not in school -
0:01:53 > 0:01:56to give a little time for those in need.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58You can give a better future to them.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03Travelling north from Cebu City into the disaster zone,
0:02:03 > 0:02:06I begin to see the damage brought by the typhoon.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08Now, while it seems the emergency is over,
0:02:08 > 0:02:10people here still don't have electricity.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13You may be able to hear the sound of a generator in the background.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15You hear it all the time here.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17But I've come to meet the children
0:02:17 > 0:02:20to find out how they're getting back on their feet.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22Chrislyn runs a school for eight-to-fifteen-year-olds
0:02:22 > 0:02:25in Bogo City, which was badly damaged by the wind.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29They're worried they'll have to tear down part of the school.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31I asked Chrislyn to show me around.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33OK, we go this way.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35This is supposed to be a fourth-year classroom.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38- And this would accommodate so many children.- Yes.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41In this room, there are 80 school desks.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45- So all your equipment was damaged. - Yes, it was damaged.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47Everything was damaged.
0:02:47 > 0:02:48It must be so frustrating for you.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51How do you feel about it when you step into this room
0:02:51 > 0:02:55- and you see all of this?- Yeah, this is the room where I cry. You know?
0:02:55 > 0:02:57Because I don't know how to...
0:02:57 > 0:03:01Even me and my family, we don't know how to construct this again.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03But we're trying our best.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05So, what's happening to all the children
0:03:05 > 0:03:08that would come here for class every day? Where are they going?
0:03:08 > 0:03:10- They're in the new building? - Yeah, in the new building.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13My biggest worry for the children here
0:03:13 > 0:03:16is we are not sure yet if they could pursue
0:03:16 > 0:03:20or we could give them some assurance that we can go on
0:03:20 > 0:03:24unless we know that we can rebuild this school, this building.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26When I speak to the children here,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29although their families are safe and unharmed by the typhoon,
0:03:29 > 0:03:34they are upset that their houses and school have been damaged.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37Despite all of that, their message is one of hope for the future.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40So, how do you feel when you come back to your school
0:03:40 > 0:03:42and you see it like this?
0:03:42 > 0:03:46My tears is about to flow, because I see the damage of the school.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48It's not OK.
0:03:48 > 0:03:54And I was just thinking how we can continue our study, but...
0:03:54 > 0:03:56it's already gone.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15Where are you staying now?
0:04:21 > 0:04:23It's OK.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25It's hard, isn't it?
0:04:26 > 0:04:28Is it important, then, for you to come to school?
0:04:45 > 0:04:46What do you want to do?
0:04:46 > 0:04:49When you think about graduating from school, what do you hope to do?
0:05:00 > 0:05:03- Can I say an inspirational message? - Yeah!
0:05:03 > 0:05:06We already lost our house, but we never lost our hope.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20We've driven about three hours outside of the city,
0:05:20 > 0:05:22and this is where it gets remote,
0:05:22 > 0:05:25and this is where you get to see where the damage is.
0:05:25 > 0:05:30People's houses are reduced to rubble.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34Trees were uprooted, power lines are down.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37And this is where it's going to be really hard to get the aid, I guess.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41But amongst all the calamity and the damage,
0:05:41 > 0:05:45you do see people at the side of roads sweeping away the mess,
0:05:45 > 0:05:47repair people trying to pull back those power lines
0:05:47 > 0:05:50and get the communication up and running again.
0:05:50 > 0:05:51And what it's telling me
0:05:51 > 0:05:55is that the people here are not going to be victims of Typhoon Haiyan.
0:05:55 > 0:05:56They're fighting back.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00Places like this never had much in the first place.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03Now many of the things they cared for have been destroyed.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06I've come to this school in the small town of Somosa
0:06:06 > 0:06:09to talk to the children about their experiences.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14There's no chance of having a lesson here,
0:06:14 > 0:06:18when your entire classroom has been completely destroyed.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20There's nothing left to the structure at all.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23So what they've done is they've created these tents here
0:06:23 > 0:06:25so that lessons can continue, at least.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30So, there's about 60 children in here right now,
0:06:30 > 0:06:33and each day they can come and talk about their experiences
0:06:33 > 0:06:35or, as you can see, they can draw pictures.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38And it's here where charity workers believe they'll have
0:06:38 > 0:06:41the first opportunity to talk about the experience
0:06:41 > 0:06:44and come to terms with the things they've seen.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47You're helping lots of children,
0:06:47 > 0:06:50but in your opinion, what do they still need?
0:06:50 > 0:06:52So, basically, they want their books, they want their bags,
0:06:52 > 0:06:55they want all the school materials that they need.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58You have seen the books? They were drying all the books.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00They still really want to read them.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02But, you know, it's very difficult, because some of them,
0:07:02 > 0:07:05the pages are already sticking to each other.
0:07:05 > 0:07:09- And are you hopeful for their future?- Yes, I am, very much.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11They will be able to dream again
0:07:11 > 0:07:14and they will be able to build the school and pursue their dreams.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18So, while the relief effort gets under way,
0:07:18 > 0:07:22it's places like this that become so important for the children here.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24It's a place where they, for a while,
0:07:24 > 0:07:27can forget the stresses and worries of everything that they've seen
0:07:27 > 0:07:29and just be children.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34Can some of you tell me
0:07:34 > 0:07:37what you remember from when the typhoon happened?
0:07:38 > 0:07:40- TRANSLATION:- I was under the table,
0:07:40 > 0:07:46because my mom told me to go under the table for me to be safe.
0:07:46 > 0:07:51I was just praying that the rain will stop, because it was so scary.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54What do you like so much about coming here?
0:07:54 > 0:07:57- TRANSLATION:- I love to be in school and play with my friends,
0:07:57 > 0:08:02because if I just get stuck in my house it will be so boring.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06And can you tell us some of the activities you were doing in class?
0:08:06 > 0:08:12- TRANSLATION:- I drew a big house, and I drew our family inside the house.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14'Kit, who is eight years old,
0:08:14 > 0:08:16'lives just around the corner from the school.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20'His family wanted to show me what happened to their home.'
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Wow. We're just coming up to their house now,
0:08:23 > 0:08:27and it's like a pack of cards just tumbled down.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31Well, this is what's left of the house they once had.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36And I say "what's left" - there's nothing there but wood.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41There's kitchen utensils over here.
0:08:41 > 0:08:42Can you tell us about the day
0:08:42 > 0:08:46and what you remember of the day the typhoon hit?
0:08:46 > 0:08:49- TRANSLATION: - The day before the typhoon,
0:08:49 > 0:08:51we had already evacuated to the warehouse.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54We thought we'd be safe because it was concrete.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56However, at ten in the morning,
0:08:56 > 0:08:59the wind was so strong the roof was blowing away.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02We begged the neighbour to let in the kids so they would be safe.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06When we were standing in front of the door, a roof nearly hit us.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09At that moment, I thought we would all be dead.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13But I am thankful to God we are all safe, especially my children.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20How long do you think it will take to get the school back up and running?
0:09:21 > 0:09:23I could not estimate.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27- It depends upon the resources. - Are you positive?
0:09:27 > 0:09:29For me, this is the beginning
0:09:29 > 0:09:33for another day of our lives as educators here.
0:09:33 > 0:09:38All what is inside the school premises lies on my shoulders.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41So when I look at it, this is the challenge, this is my job.
0:09:43 > 0:09:46So I have to face it. I have to face the reality.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49Life must go on.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51THEY LAUGH
0:09:57 > 0:09:59We've met children who have experienced
0:09:59 > 0:10:01things most of us can't imagine,
0:10:01 > 0:10:06children who have lost their homes, had their schools destroyed.
0:10:06 > 0:10:07But despite all of that,
0:10:07 > 0:10:12I've been struck by how strong they are and how well they're coping.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15And I'll leave here with a real sense of hope
0:10:15 > 0:10:17for the Philippines and its people.