MEET ELSA

She is the eldest of four children. From a young age, she and her siblings were constantly uprooted from their home and were often homeless.

Elsa’s family was recently displaced yet again by the recent Mayon Volcano eruption and found themselves living in emergency shelters. Elsa realizes now more than ever that she is one of the lucky ones. She is safe in Girlstown in Biga, the Philippines, and will be able to help support her family once she graduates.

Natural disasters disproportionately affect the poor, who are often unable to relocate or rebuild. The hardships that families face after a natural disaster make it even more difficult to escape poverty. Although Mayon Volcano is not located near any of our schools, many of our students’ families were affected by the recent eruption and are facing uncertainty.
The home of a student after a natural disaster.

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