A Wave of Need: A Midwife’s Story
One midwife impacts women and children in her community in the wake of the Philippines’ Super Typhoon Haiyan
Updated on May 4, 2026
The 2013 storm marked one of the deadliest typhoons to strike the Visayas island group in the central Philippines, claiming over 6,300 lives. At landfall, Haiyan (Yolanda) had maximum sustained winds of 195 mph, making it one of the most powerful tropical cyclones to strike land.¹ The physical destruction and economic impact pushed an estimated 2.3 million people into poverty.² For Vitamin Angels and its program partners in the Philippines, the disaster made an already urgent need for maternal nutrition support even more acute.
Yolanda was life-changing for all of us. Despite the difficult situation and uncertainties we faced during that time, every baby born gave us a gleam of hope.”
-Nerissa, Mercy in Action
Nerissa had no idea how much her life would change after the storm hit. In response to the disaster, Mercy in Action, a nonprofit organization,and Vitamin Angels program partner, — stepped in to rebuild maternal care in the region. Nerissa joined the team and worked tirelessly to provide healthcare, including delivering babies in tents in the immediate aftermath of the storm, which had left many hospitals devastated. With the support of Mercy in Action, Nerissa’s clinic was eventually rebuilt to provide free maternity care to the families in her community.
Ten years later, Nerissa is known as an advocate for pregnant women in her community. Her passion and dedication have greatly improved maternal health experiences for women in Tanauan. The birthing center she helped rebuild now provides women with a safe, supportive environment during pregnancy and childbirth — including women like Edna, who experienced significant trauma during the birth of her first child.
Edna delivered her child alone on a desk in the municipal center as Typhoon Yolanda raged throughout Leyte. She had to flee immediately after giving birth, with only an umbrella protecting her newborn from the harsh weather. With this pregnancy, however, she will be supported by Nerissa and her compassionate team at Mercy in Action — laboring surrounded by midwives, family, and nourishing food. She will also receive prenatal vitamins and minerals through Vitamin Angels’ partnership with Mercy in Action, ensuring her baby has the nutritional foundation for a healthy start.
A Partnership Built to Last
Vitamin Angels first partnered with Mercy in Action in 2014, when Nerissa received her first grant for prenatal vitamins and minerals to support the nutritional needs of her patients. That partnership has since grown significantly. In 2025 alone, Vitamin Angels reached 554,952 pregnant women and babies with MMS. Learn more about our programs in the Philippines.
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