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More than 3,000 people in risk-prone communities in BARMM have better access to market and financial services

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Together with the United States Agency for International Developments’ Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, we launched in April 2020 a two-year disaster risk reduction project. In the past two years, we have been working with our partner communities in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in ensuring that they are better prepared and more resilient against disasters.

One of the project’s approach was to introduce the culture of savings to participating families. They were introduced to financial systems through registration in online financial platforms. 50 community savings groups (CSGs) were organized. This was one of the strategies that paved the way for beneficiary households to integrate savings in their efforts towards financial sufficiency.

“Thank you so much for teaching us to value of having our own savings. We never prioritized this before…I have a lot of kids that I need to send to school. That is why I need to have my own savings for the benefit of my children.”

– Samrah Tayuan, Community Savings Group Member

Aligned to the provisions of Republic Act 10121 (Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG)’s Operation Listo for Municipalities, the project’s main goal is to strengthen local government and community capacities towards resilience in municipalities which are high risk and vulnerable to natural hazards in Mindanao, Philippines.

A total of 3,750 people also have better access to market and financial services through the of the ‘Strengthening Local Resilience and Building Capacities in Area at High Risk of Natural Hazards in BARMM, Mindanao’ project.

Overall, we were able to reach 17,601 people with our activities that are in line with Risk Management Policy & Practice; Agriculture & Food Security; and Economic Recovery and Market Systems (ERMS).

For more information, check out the Project Catalogue

‘Strengthening Local Resilience and Building Capacities in Area at High Risk of Natural Hazards in BARMM, Mindanao’ is a disaster risk reduction project funded by the United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID-BHA) and implemented by Action Against Hunger. Read more

Resilience Project in BARMM impacts 5,080 people with improved risk management policies & practices

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The United States Agency for International Developments’ Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance together with Action Against Hunger launched in April 2020 a two-year disaster risk reduction project. In the past two years, we have been working with our partner communities in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in ensuring that they are better prepared and more resilient against disasters.

For example, we helped the five covered municipalities in improving and updating their existing DRRM Plans and contingency plans, aligned to the Office of Civil Defense’s (OCD) standard forms and required contents. In coordination with the OCD of BARMM, we then provided the technical resource and facilitated the workshops.

“Before Action Against Hunger came, we didn’t know how to handle calamities…Now that we do, we now understand what an early warning system does. We can now stand on our own. We learned a lot such as how to manage our people during disasters and similar situations.”

– Nasiba Kasim Maguid, Barangay Captain of Liong, Datu Salibo

Aligned to the provisions of Republic Act 10121 (Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG)’s Operation Listo for Municipalities, the project’s main goal is to strengthen local government and community capacities towards resilience in municipalities which are high risk and vulnerable to natural hazards in Mindanao, Philippines.

We were able to impact 5,080 people by improving local government and communities’ capacity in preparing for and mitigating disaster impact through training, and planning processes.  This was made possible due to the efforts of the ‘Strengthening Local Resilience and Building Capacities in Area at High Risk of Natural Hazards in BARMM, Mindanao’ project.

Overall, we were able to reach 17,601 people with our activities that are in line with Risk Management Policy & Practice; Agriculture & Food Security; and Economic Recovery and Market Systems (ERMS).

For more information, check out the Project Catalogue

‘Strengthening Local Resilience and Building Capacities in Area at High Risk of Natural Hazards in BARMM, Mindanao’ is a disaster risk reduction project funded by the United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID-BHA) and implemented by Action Against Hunger. Read more

Launching the first Climate Outlook Forum for Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur DRR partners

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MAGUINDANAO — Our disaster risk reduction (DRR) project focused on the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) launched its 1st Maguindanao & Lanao del Sur Climate Outlook Forum last September 2, 2021.

In partnership with the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the forum was facilitated online by Action Against Hunger’s Cotabato team. Charly Jamero, the Chief Meteorological Officer for the Ministry of Science & Technology – PAGASA, serves as the key resource speaker for the said activity.

Photo by Michael Ryan Queman for Action Against Hunger

A total of 58 people participated in the virtual forum—among these were representatives from the municipal and barangay government units, along with key agencies in BARMM. Members of the People’s Organization also attended the event. Some municipalities like Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Datu Piang, and Rajah Buayan organized viewing sessions for individual participants that had limited or no internet connection in their respective households. A number of attendees who were not based in Maguindanao also joined the session.

Photo by Michael Ryan Queman for Action Against Hunger

For the activity, Ms. Jamero gave an overview of climate outlook. She then proceeded to discuss anticipated weather and climate updates in Visayas & Mindanao from September 2021 until January 2022.

“We want to level down, localize, and contextualize climate information and use it for decision-making. We hope that this climate outlook fora can be a means for our community members and decision-makers to utilize these learnings in improving our resilience-building strategies. We should be able to make an informed decision out of the climate information that we have.” – Juan Blenn Huelgas, Action Against Hunger DRR Coordinator 

In a concise yet enlightening message, Juan Blenn Huelgas—current Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Coordinator for Action Against Hunger Philippines—emphasized the importance of using the information gained from the discussion in drafting local government plans and community decision-making. “We want to level down, localize, and contextualize climate information and use it for decision-making. We hope that this climate outlook fora can be a means for our community members and decision-makers to utilize these learnings in improving our resilience-building strategies. We should be able to make an informed decision out of the climate information that we have,” he said.

Photo by Michael Ryan Queman for Action Against Hunger

Delilah Chua, Head of Base for Action Against Hunger Cotabato Field Office, also attended the virtual forum and thanked all partners, participants, and facilitators for taking part in the first round of discussion on climate outlook.

BHA-DRR / Cotabato Team (Photo courtesy of Michael Ryan Queman)

Strengthening Local Resilience and Building Capacities in Area at High Risk of Natural Hazards in BARMM, Mindanao‘ is a disaster risk reduction (DRR) project funded by the United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID-BHA) and implemented by Action Against Hunger.

Written by Michael Ryan Queman | Edited by Joyce Sandajan Read more