Gerald Alcaraz (right) sits in the doorway of the small family home in Tacloban, Philippines with his mother Richelle and his younger brother Jeffrey

Survivors of Typhoon Haiyan: Gerald's Story (VIDEO)

Three days after Typhoon Haiyan's landfall in Tacloban, Richelle Alcaraz awoke to find her nine-year-old son Gerald missing. She spent hours searching for him. “I was worried because there were a lot of dead bodies around, and I couldn’t find him,” she says.

 

At dusk, Gerald finally came home, wet and dirty, carrying canned food, uncooked rice and clothes. “I went to the mall to get some food because my baby brother was crying," he says. "I wanted to help ... because we didn’t have anything to eat.”

 

 

Gerald and his family embody the strength of spirit underpinning the Filipino people's response to Typhoon Haiyan. Today, Gerald is back in school with dreams of becoming a pilot. “Thanks a lot to those who helped us," he says. “We are happy now.”

 

 

 

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© UNICEF Philippines/2014/Gay Samson