Backpack Program Provides for Students Affected by Typhoon

Grey skies and heavy thundershowers couldn’t dull the spirits of the students and teachers of Catoogan Elementary School in Santa Fe, Leyte on Thursday, May 29. Huddled in a classroom with a tarp for a roof, these students eagerly awaited their chance to select a brand new backpack. Thanks to generous donors, The Salvation Army was able to provide the 108 students from K-grade 6 with backpacks fully loaded with grade appropriate supplies for the coming school year.

The Catoogan School was one of many schools damaged by Typhoon Haiyan that swept across the Philippines on November 8, 2013. Both school buildings lost their roofs and one that sustained additional damage still remains unusable today.