A Wheelchair Provision Under Our ‘Response to the Unmet Humanitarian Needs of the Most Vulnerable Conflict-Affected Populations in Mindanao’ (REACH)

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“Thank you… I don’t have to borrow a wheelchair from the neighbors anymore whenever I have to do something important,” said 62-year old Norcaisa Macapasir.

For ten years, Norcaisa has become acustomed to using her hands as legs as she lives with paraplegia. After her husband passed away in 2010, Norcaisa started feeling numbness in her legs. Not long after, her lower body was paralized completely.

On February 23, 2021, Action Against Hunger Philippines in coordination with the municipal health officer (MHO) and the local government unit (LGU) focal for health provided her with a wheelchair to support her in her daily activities.

The logistic support received by Norcaisa was one of the health and protection interventions under our ‘Response to the Unmet Humanitarian Needs of the Most Vulnerable Conflict-Affected Populations in Mindanao’ (REACH). The REACH project was funded by the EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid – ECHO and is implemented together with CARE Philippines, Oxfam Pilipinas, and their local partners.

Story from the Field: A Wheelchair of Her Own

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For ten years, Norcaisa Macapasir has become acustomed to using her hands as legs as she lives with paraplegia. Despite her condition, the sixty-two year old is known to maintain a cheerful disposition.

After her husband passed away in 2010, Norcaida started feeling numbness in her legs. Not long after, her lower body was paralized completely. Now, she and her 25-year old son, Alanoding, live together in a bahay kubo in Saguiran, Lanao del Sur. To assist her with her personal hygiene, Alanoding made a hole in their wood flooring where she would defecate and urinate.

Because of Norcaida’s situation, Action Against Hunger in coordination with the municipal health officer (MHO) and the local government unit (LGU) focal for health provided her with logistic support by giving her a wheelchair of her own. On February 23, 2021, the wheelchair was personally delivered to her home.

“Thank you… I don’t have to borrow a wheelchair from the neighbors anymore whenever I have to do something important,” she says in tears, overwhelmed with joy from the assistance she received.

The logistic support received by Norcaida is one of the health and protection interventions under our ‘Response to the Unmet Humanitarian Needs of the Most Vulnerable Conflict-Affected Populations in Mindanao’ (REACH). The REACH project is funded by the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) and is implemented together with CARE Philippines, and their local partners.

We Are Constantly Scaling Up Our Efforts to Prevent Hunger, But We Need Your Help Now More Than Ever

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How do we fight hunger and malnutrition?

At Action Against Hunger, we educate and support mothers about the importance of breastfeeding for the first six months, and work to improve care and feeding practices. We also train local health care workers and partners to screen and treat undernutrition, and we provide technical expertise and support to strengthen local health systems. These are just some of the components of our nutrition programs.

We are constantly scaling up our efforts to prevent hunger, but we need your help now more than ever.

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https://actionagainsthunger.ph/call-for-donations

(Photo by Alfons Rodriguez for Action Against Hunger)

For Many Filipinos, Access to Food is a Daily Challenge

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For many Filipinos, access to food is a daily challenge.

All over the world, about 20 million more people are facing crisis levels of hunger as compared to previous years. Issues like conflicts, natural disasters, and COVID-19 contribute to this alarming increase. We all have a role to play to change this.

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Visit: https://actionagainsthunger.ph/what-we-do/…

(Photo by Daniel Burgui for Action Against Hunger)

We are looking for a Deputy Country Director in Manila

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We are looking for a Deputy Country Director (Programmes) in Manila! For further details please go to this link: https://bit.ly/3eDI9LA

How to apply:
1. Click the link
2. Read the details thoroughly
3. Go to the bottom right corner of the page
4. Click the “Apply for this Position” button

Given the urgency of this position, the vacancy may close on or before 11 May 2021.

We provide equal opportunities to candidates regardless of their origin, nationality, race, gender, regional and sexual orientation. This vision aims to integrate equal treatment and opportunities among women and men in all HR processes and policies within the organization.

Health Volunteer Saves Allowance to Support Family

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The onset of the global pandemic severely affected displaced communities brought by earthquakes in North Cotabato. They become more vulnerable as their mobility has been limited and opportunities to earn a living and provide for their basic needs have been hampered harshly. Their already limited capacities were further impeded by health official’s implementation of lockdowns, curfew, and disallowing of social gatherings. This situation is extremely difficult for the people living in the evacuation centers and camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the North Cotabato Province.

Joan Bayawan, 27, a mother of one, residing in the Barangay Ilomavis, City of Kidapawan, Province of Cotabato was one of those severely affected by both the Mindanao earthquakes and the COVID 19 pandemic. Her barangay was greatly hit by a series of strong magnitude earthquakes that devastated the province during 16th, 29th, and 31st of October 2019. After being displaced for more than a year following the disaster, Joan and her family thought they would slowly regain economic security, and little by little find way back to their normal life. Unfortunately, everything blushed off as COVID-19 pandemic deeply affected their livelihood, causing them poor access to basic social services such as health and nutrition, education, transportation, and information.

Despite having been affected by the Earthquake and the negative impact of COVID-19 pandemic, Joan became one of Action Against Hunger’s health volunteers in their barangay. She was among the trained water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) committee members who underwent Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) training conducted by Action Against Hunger on August 8, 2020 in Kidapawan City under the project “COVID-19 Emergency WASH Assistance to Conflict and Earthquake Affected Communities in Mindanao.” Since then, Joan and her colleagues have been conducting regular health and hygiene messages, demonstrate hygiene promotion activities, and communicated updates to the project team.

Because of her dedication, enthusiasm, and willingness to help her community, Joan was able to play a significant role in helping earthquake affected communities prevent the spread of the life-threatening disease.

In recognition of the effort and time spent, Joan and her fellow volunteers were given support through cash and in-kind incentives for their rendered hours. As a volunteer, she received an allowance amounting to $62.78 (PhP 3,150.00) for 10 working days—$ 6.2 (PHP 315) per day based on the minimum wage in North Cotabato. This amount was also allocated for phone credits to update the project on its progress, to provide feedback from the communities and to communicate changing local situations from their respective areas.

“I am very happy with the allowance I received. Aside from the fact that this amount should be used for communication and reporting, whatever amount I save in excess is very useful. This is really a big help for me and my families’ finances supporting our daily needs. It is hard for us to find resources because of COVID restrictions and protocols,” said Joan.

Not only was Joan able to support her community by raising awareness and educating them about COVID-19, her volunteer stint also somewhat serves as a much-needed temporary employment for Joan, providing income as well as appropriate social protection. Her activities for the project also prevented Joan and her family from resorting to negative coping mechanisms due to the hardship brought by two calamitous events in the province.

Joan’s family was also among the 6,350 families that received non-food items (NFIs), hygiene kits, and received direct hygiene promotion sessions in North Cotabato.

The COVID-19 Emergency WASH Assistance to Conflict and Earthquake Affected Communities in Mindanao was a nine-month emergency response project which aimed to support 151,081 individuals from conflict and earthquake – affected populations across the province of Lanao Del Sur, Maguindanao, and province of Cotabato. The project was implemented by Action Against Hunger, Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), and CARE Philippines, and funded by Bureau of Humanitarian Affairs (BHA) of the United States Agency for International Aid (USAID). ●

Our Teams Distribute Hygiene Kits and Build Latrines and Hand-Washing Stations to Prevent Outbreaks of Diseases During a Crisis

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Prior to the pandemic, our teams distribute hygiene kits and build latrines and hand-washing stations in the communities we work with to prevent outbreaks of diseases during a crisis. In communities at risk, we construct water filters made from basic materials and teach healthy practices like hand-washing, cooking with clean utensils, and drawing water from protected sources.

Read more about our WASH projects and find out how you can support us: https://actionagainsthunger.ph/what-we-do/#water-sanitation

With The Coronavirus Pandemic Far From Over, Many Families From These Vulnerable Communities Continue to Rely On Relief

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Communities that are heavily affected by natural disasters or conflicts face food insecurity among other potential problems and risks. With the coronavirus pandemic far from over, many families from these vulnerable communities continue to rely on relief.

Help us enable them to have better access to livelihood opportunities, health assistance or clean water and hygiene facilities. Your support can help these families get back on their feet.

DONATE NOW:

Call For Donations

Photo by Agnes Lavarraine for Action Against Hunger

Climate Change Continues To Be One of the Biggest Problems We Face Today #EarthDay

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Climate change continues to be one of the biggest problems we face today—a threat multiplier for communities suffering from hunger and malnutrition. We know that ending world hunger is only possible if we have a healthy planet, which is why we are committed in protecting and caring for the environment.

Let’s all do our part to reduce negative impacts on the environment. Happy #EarthDay from Action Against Hunger Philippines!

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www.actionagainsthunger.ph

Real Life Heroes – Abubakar Balabagan

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As humanitarian workers, our field teams have time and time again shown great dedication at ground level in reaching even the most isolated communities. One great example would be Abubakar “Bhaks” Balabagan who has always given his best efforts despite the risks and challenges.

Get to know Bhaks and what makes him one of our Real-Life Heroes!

What motivates you to become a humanitarian worker?
My purpose, which is to help people in the community who are suffering during disasters, and saving lives as well.

Why are you making this sacrifice?
It makes me fulfilled. I am happy to help vulnerable people in the community through Action Against Hunger and be able to have a role in providing free and direct access to beneficiaries – because it is one of the organization’s principles.

Bhaks teaches participants how to use the hyposol solution during the hygiene promotion session in Baras, Catanduanes. (Photo by Joyce Anne Sandajan for Action Against Hunger)

What have been the challenges to your work because of the COVID-19 pandemic?
The pandemic is very challenging because the risk of contracting and/or transmitting the virus can happen anytime and anywhere if not careful. Because of this, we have to limit gathering beneficiaries in small areas for activities like hygiene promotion sessions.

What motivates you to keep doing your work even with these challenges?
My motivation comes from the people I serve. When I became a humanitarian worker, I became more conscious of the people’s daily struggles and have a deeper understanding on how different their situations are. For instance, many of them are striving to survive the economic downturn during this pandemic.

What are you most proud of?
The thought that the work that I do, in some way or another, will have a ripple effect that will impact the lives of the people I serve.

Bhaks has been working with Action Against Hunger for more than 4 years. Now, he is currently part of our Typhoon Rolly (Goni) Emergency Response Team as one of the Project Assistants.

The Emergency Assistance to Typhoon Affected Communities in Catanduanes and Albay Province, Philippines is funded by by USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, and implemented by Action Against Hunger Philippines, and CARE Philippines. Read more