The first major project Rise and Rebuild undertook was the construction of communal bathrooms shortly after Typhoon Haiyan, which wreaked devastation on the islands of Leyte and Cebu in November 2013. Local church and government officials began to petition Rise and Rebuild for a CR to be constructed in their village or neighborhood.
Before the addition of communal bathrooms at the schools, students would go home when they needed to use the facilities, and often would not return. Since the construction of on-site bathrooms, both attendance and overall sanitation has improved.