A year of recovery: Typhoon Haiyan in pictures

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A year of recovery: Typhoon Haiyan in pictures

A year of recovery: Typhoon Haiyan in pictures

On 8 November 2013, Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines, affecting more than five million children. A year later, Plan International continues to work with children and families whose lives were destroyed.

Three weeks after Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines, documentary photographer Pieter ten Hoopen travelled with Plan International to the worst affected areas in the country and met some of the children and their families whose lives had been destroyed.

Pieter returned to the Philippines in May and then September to see how the children were recovering. This unique project followed a few children and young people over the course of a year.

The resulting images show that although disasters have a huge impact on children's lives, they are an important part of the recovery process as children often find solutions that adults do not see and are experts in adapting to new situations quickly.

Everywhere, people are making fires to get rid of the piles of rubbish and debris. Legaspi, December 2013
The lips of my little brother became black from the cold, we thought he was going to die. But he survived. However, one of my friends died." - Tanauan, December 2013
A girl walks around what is left of her neighbourhood in West Samar
Myrish helps her father, José, to clear debris around the ruins of the family house. José is a fisherman, but lost his boat and his livelihood in the typhoon
I stood alone on our roof top for hours, tightly embracing my eight week old twin sons." - Ronalyn, 27
Children on summer holiday participate in a Catholic procession to honour the Virgin Mary
After the typhoon we were not allowed to play outside because of all the dangerous waste. But now we can play on the beach again." - Jednel, 11
Bernadeth lives with her mother and five siblings in one of the worst hit areas in Tacloban. The family has been provided with a new house through a Plan project
Santo Nino Elementary School in Tanauan was washed away by the surge that followed Typhoon Haiyan. Temporary schools were swiftly set up in tents to give children protection and security
Ten months on, children are allowed to play in the sea again

"Brace yourselves, a typhoon is coming"

After the typhoon, Plan International worked to provide safe and supportive child-friendly spaces for 21,000 children where they could play, learn and get emotional support.

Since the typhoon, 15,717 women and children have received maternal and child health services from Plan International.

After six months, most of the rubble had been cleared by hand by community members. Plan International has enabled more than 44,000 children to return to school, distributing 'back to school' kits, rebuilding classrooms, training teachers and supplying school equipment.