Aurora Almendral

Aurora Almendral is a freelance reporter and radio producer based in Manila and New York.

Crowds holding candles and rosaries pray in the week following the Easter Sunday suicide bombings in Sri Lanka. 

Sri Lanka remains wary of more attacks, but churches begin to rebuild

One week after the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka, authorities warn that extremists may be planning more attacks, while religious sites are starting to rebuild from the destruction.

Sri Lanka remains wary of more attacks, but churches begin to rebuild
A man walks by a large banner that reads "Muslims condemn the senseless killings of innocent Christians at worship in their churches and celebrating Easter Sunday. There's no place in Islam for extremists."

Muslims in Sri Lanka say they feel targeted after bombings

Muslims in Sri Lanka say they feel targeted after bombings
A man waves a backhoe as it lifts dirt to drop onto four caskets laid out in a row

Sri Lanka mourns with mass funerals

Sri Lanka mourns with mass funerals
Yolanda Ampoan is hugged by her children after learning of the death of her son Sandrex Ampo. Ampo was killed by unknown assailant on September 23, 2016 in Punta Sta Ana, Manila.

When half a million drug users surrendered in the Philippines, authorities sent some of them to Zumba

When half a million drug users surrendered in the Philippines, authorities sent some of them to Zumba
Jennelyn Olayres hold her husband’s dead body, Michael Siaron, an alleged drug pusher killed by unidentified gunman in Pasay City south of Manila.

The war on drugs in the Philippines is leaving hundreds dead in the streets

The war on drugs in the Philippines is leaving hundreds dead in the streets
Brother Paul heads out at night with baggies filled with biscuits for kids, and medicines for adults with HIV. He also distributes clean needles and condoms to those in need.

A Catholic monk in the Philippines defies his church to help people with HIV

The Philippines largely escaped the global AIDS epidemic in the 80s and 90s. But now it has one of the fastest growing HIV epidemics in the world.

A Catholic monk in the Philippines defies his church to help people with HIV
Abandoned "ghost nets" take a deadly toll on fish and aquatic ecosystems around the world. The NetWorks program in the Philippines attacks the problem by paying fishermen to haul up old nets and then sends them to Europe and the US to be recycled into com

Philippines project turns 'ghost' fishing nets into carpets

Abandoned fishing nets destroy ecosystems and the livelihoods of fishermen around the world. Now a network of nonprofits is partnering with a for-profit company to recover some of these "ghost nets"in the Philippines and elsewhere and recycle them into carpeting.

Philippines project turns 'ghost' fishing nets into carpets
A woman in Plaza Miranda, outside Quiapo Church in Manila, sells off her dwindling stock of Pope Francis t-shirts in advance of the Pope's visit to the Philippines.

Filipino Catholics welcome Pope Francis with fervency, hope and souvenir T-shirts

When Pope Francis holds a Catholic Mass in Manila this weekend, he's expected to draw up to six million people. But there are conflicting hopes and expectations for what he'll say to Asia's most populous Catholic country.

Filipino Catholics welcome Pope Francis with fervency, hope and souvenir T-shirts
One year after Typhoon Haiyan, about 5,000 people still live in evacuation centers or tents like this one in Sandy Beach, near Tacloban.

A year later, communities are still suffering from Typhoon Haiyan

Typhoon Haiyan caused more damage than the Haiti earthquake or the Indonesian tsunami, displacing 4.1 million people and killing more than 6,300 people in the Philippines. Now a year later, there's still plenty of work to do for the government and international aid agencies.

A year later, communities are still suffering from Typhoon Haiyan
In Tondo, a Manila slum, poor families live and work in the charcoal fields, where rent is free.

Why contraception might be a way out of poverty for Filipino families

The Philippines has one of the highest birth rates in Asia. But recently, the government passed a law, over the strenuous objections of the Catholic Church, that paved the way for providing free contraception. Reporter Aurora Almendral speaks with one woman, a grandmother at 33, about how free birth control could change the lives of the country's poorest.

Why contraception might be a way out of poverty for Filipino families
Jing Geronimo, inmate Roberto Maanyo, and their son Robert James outside the small shack the family shares on the grounds of the Leyte Provincial Prison on the outskirts of Tacloban.

In typhoon-hit Tacloban, some families have moved into the local prison

An unusual scene is playing out on the grounds of the Leyte Provincial Prison in Tacloban — families are living there.

In typhoon-hit Tacloban, some families have moved into the local prison
Patella, Jim Houck’s 4-year-old human remains detection dog, arrives on the tarmac in Tacloban.

An American and his dog help bring closure to survivors of Typhoon Haiyan

Months after the typhoon that devastated Tacloban in the Philippines, many people are still missing. An American team of trainers and their dogs are helping sniff out human remains — even those underwater — to help the survivors move on after the tragic storm.

An American and his dog help bring closure to survivors of Typhoon Haiyan
Farmer Felipe Parado Jr., 59, has collected the sap of coconut palms, to make wine, since he was a child.

Typhoon Haiyan felled this man's trees and uprooted his life

When Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines last November, it wiped out an estimated 33 million coconut palms. Now one coconut farmer is trying to salvage a living from his dead trees and buy himself time to regrow his crop.

Typhoon Haiyan felled this man's trees and uprooted his life
Rene Celis stands in the ruins of Barangay Pampango, a seaside neighborhood in Tacloban that was destroyed by Typhoon Haiyan. Celis was the neighborhood leader—or “captain.”

Filipinos made homeless by Typhoon Haiyan struggle with where to rebuild

When Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines, it displaced thousands of impoverished families. Now, one local leader is asking where his people will go?

Filipinos made homeless by Typhoon Haiyan struggle with where to rebuild
Delma Yerro, 53, and her granddaughter Heavenly at their sari-sari store in Tacloban, Philippines.

After Haiyan, Filipinos try to rebuild a cherished local link in the retail chain

In the Philippines, sari-sari stores serve as neighborhood anchors —a combination of convenience store and stand-up pub. Now, nearly two months after the typhoon, Filipinos are trying to revive these small, but important shops.

After Haiyan, Filipinos try to rebuild a cherished local link in the retail chain