Dreams amid the debris - The children of Typhoon Haiyan

According to UNICEF, nearly 1.7 million children are among the approximately 4.1 million people displaced by Typhoon "Haiyan." Having lost their homes and loved ones, children living in the disaster zone are suffering from acute trauma and continue to face daily challenges due to ongoing disruptions.

On the beaches of Tanauan, south of Tacloban City, many children are flying kites made of old cloth, or plastic bags. Tanauan was one of the areas hardest-hit by the typhoon. The majority of residents is still living in tents. Despite the hardships they endure, children are trying to find a bit of normalcy again by creating games and toys from trash and debris.

Sofia (11) and her little brother Roy (6) are proud of their home-made kite, created from an old plastic bag, strings and a used can of sardines. "Flying the kite makes me happy because I feel free as a bird," says the young girl. Her family lost everything during the storm, including their fishing boat. A local NGO recently provided them with a new boat, so now, only the fishing net is missing.

Using an old fridge as a boat, José (14) and his friend Mikel (13) make the most of their afternoon at the beach on the outskirts of Tacloban. The boys are attending school in a tent for two hours every day. Having lost all their belongings, they live in makeshift huts made from debris. In the Tacloban area, thousands of families are currently living in temporary accommodation.

The boy playing on this fallen tree is from Palo, a municipality next to Tacloban. Palo is one of the most severely devastated coastal towns in Leyte province. Many homeless and orphaned children live here, relying solely on distributed relief goods for their survival.

Children are sliding here on the ruins of their school in San Roque, outside of Tacloban. San Roque elementary school was completely devastated. As a result, the children are attending classes in shifts. "We need more books, paper and crayons. It is difficult to concentrate in the tent classroom, as it’s very hot and dusty inside," said one of the pupils.

The village of Anibong, outside of Tacloban, was completely destroyed by cargo vessels heaved inland by the storm surge. In the aftermath of the typhoon, Joshua (14) and Daniel (6) moved into the very vessel that destroyed their homes. Together with other surviving family members, they now have sought shelter in a wooden bunkhouse, but still don't have access to water, sanitation, or electricity.

On one of the stranded vessels in Anibong, young boys have found materials to construct wooden toys.

Basketball is the most popular sport in the Philippines. All over the affected areas, youngsters have set up small courts - even here in Anibong, next to a stranded cargo ship.

These two boys playing amid debris outside Tacloban are typical for the Philippines. According to the 2010 national census, about a third of the country's population is less than 15 years old. In Tacloban, the city hit hardest by Typhoon Haiyan, that would equate to 74,000 children under 15 in a city of 221,000 residents.