“It was really very difficult. We wanted to reach out to our families after the storm. But we had no way of contacting them,” said Dianne Ecleo, a resident of Guiuan, Eastern Samar. Residents in this region of the Philippines were left without any means of communication after Typhoon Haiyan hit in November 2013.
With local DJs and technicians, Internews launched Radio Bakdaw ("Rise" in the local language) to provide much-needed news and information, as well as a way for residents to get their voices heard.
“Whenever we have problems, we now go to the radio,” said Alice Padua, another Guiuan resident. “And they give us answers right away. The provide solutions.”