Volume 35 No. 1 | Autumn 2025 6 Society Matters Emergency appeal donations help typhoon victims get back on their feet Money raised from Emergency Appeals organised by the Mission Office of the SVD Australia Province, with the help of the SVD Lay Partners, is helping to support Divine Word Missionaries in Vietnam and the Philippines as they help families get back on their feet following a string of destructive typhoons. The typhoons moved across south-east Asia from September to November last year, killing hundreds and leaving many thousands homeless and without livelihoods. Mission Secretary, Fr Viet Nguyen SVD said that donations for Vietnam from within the Australia Province totalled $14,698, with $1750 of the funds raised by collections at the Marsfield Carols by Candlelight and the rest by direct donations to the special appeal. About $2100 was raised for the Philippines through collections at the Marsfield Carols event. Fr Kim Huong SVD, who has been working on the typhoon recovery program in Vietnam said Typhoons Kajiki, Nongfa, Ragasa, Bualoi, Matmo, and Kalmaegi moved across the central provinces of the country, severely affecting people in Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Hue, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, and Khanh Hoa provinces. “Among the affected areas, Nghe An, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, and Khanh Hoa suffered the most damage,” he said. “Our SVD Vietnam Province has tried to provide medicine, food, clean water, clothing, etc to the people affected by the recent storms and floods which caused a great deal of damage, both in terms of lives and property. “Many people have died. Houses collapsed. Livestock and household property were swept away. Fields and gardens were buried.” Fr Huong said that after the immediate rescue efforts, the SVD is now helping people rebuild or repair their houses, restore their fields and gardens, provide cattle, pigs, chickens, various types of seeds, fertilisers to help them stabilise their lives. “For children of school age, we are helping them with textbooks, school bags, pens, bicycles, clothes, and tuition fees,” he said. He thanked all those who donated to the SVD Australia Province’s emergency typhoon appeals and said the funds were directly helping people to rebuild their lives. “May God bless you and bestow many of His blessings upon you,” he said. The devastation in Vietnam followed that which occurred in the Philippines. Two typhoons battered the Philippines in November, with the devastating Kalmaegi, known locally as ‘Tino’, which killed 224 people across the country being closely followed by Typhoon Fung-wong, known locally as ‘Uwan’, which left at least eight people dead and saw Volume 36 No. 1 | Autumn 2026
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