UNICEF USA Blog
A "debris tree" Christmas tree in Tacloban, Philippines. © UNICEF/Kearney
Angela Kearney is a native of Christchurch, New Zealand, and
has worked for the United Nations and for UNICEF in more than ten
countries. She is leading UNICEF’s emergency relief efforts in Tacloban.
For the past six weeks, I have been living in Tacloban, the epicenter of the destruction wrought by the notorious Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.
Christmas is a special time of year in this mostly Catholic country,
and I am delighted by the outlandish creativity of the Christmas trees,
or “debris trees” as some call them.
A Christmas tree in front of Palo Central Elementary school, Leyte province, Philippines. © UNICEF/Kearney
Made up of the humblest leftovers of Haiyan, from plastic bottles to
scraps of paper, they are yet another sign of the resilience of the
Filipino spirit, which is celebrated on signs and t-shirts everywhere
with “Bangon Tacloban” or “Rise Up, Tacloban.”
My time here has been marked by moments of huge sadness at the
magnitude of the number of children affected – nearly 6 million – and
the cruelty of their losses.
This sadness, however, has been tempered by amazement and joy at how
warmly and openly people have welcomed me and my colleagues, despite
their own personal misfortune. I feel lucky to spend this Christmas with
them.
MORE:
Philippines: Children
line up to receive a Christmas gift from volunteers near a giant lantern
with the colors of the Philippine flag, in Tacloban, Philippines, on
December 25, 2013. This year, Christmas is a celebration amid
deprivation, in tents, makeshift homes and damaged churches in the city
devastated by the November 8 typhoon Haiyan. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim) # 
Philippines: Children
line up to receive a Christmas gift from volunteers near a giant lantern
with the colors of the Philippine flag, in Tacloban, Philippines, on
December 25, 2013. This year, Christmas is a celebration amid
deprivation, in tents, makeshift homes and damaged churches in the city
devastated by the November 8 typhoon Haiyan. 
Philippines: A girl discovers a doll discarded by a grocery store on Christmas day on December 25, 2013 in Tacloban, Leyte, Philippines. (Dondi Tawatao/Getty Images) # 
Children in Tanauan, in the
Philippines' Leyte province, play beside an improvised Christmas tree
decorated with cans and bottles. Photograph: Romeo Ranoco/Reuters
The municipality of Basey as
Christmas approaches. Devastated by typhoon Haiyan, the Philippines also
has huge foreign debts. Photograph: Ezra Acayan/Barcroft Media
A Christmas message from people in Palo, Leyte province Photograph: Angela Kearney/Unicef
A signpost is transformed into a Christmas 'debris tree' outside a makeshift hospital in Tacloban
Photograph: Angela Kearney/Unicef
Old tyres, tree branches and coloured decorations make up this streetside Christmas tree in Tacloban
Photograph: Angela Kearney/Unicef
A tree in Tacloban is decorated with debris
A boy stands in front of improvised
Christmas ornaments in Tolosa, Leyte province, one of the hardest-hit
areas of the Philippines
TREE OF HOPE Hundreds of people watch the lighting of the giant Christmas tree in front of City Hall. VER NOVENO/CONTRIBUTOR
TREE OF HOPE Hundreds of people watch the lighting of the giant Christmas tree in front of City Hall. VER NOVENO/CONTRIBUTOR
Tacloban, Philippines A Christmas tree made of debris stands on a street on Christmas Eve.
Dondi Tawatao/Getty Images
Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/545463/christmas-tree-rises-amid-rubble-in-tacloban#ixzz2oqjKsjdM
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