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A Common Tool Used to Determine If a Child is Malnourished

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A MUAC or “Mid-Upper Arm Circumference” tape is one common tool that we use to determine if a child is malnourished.
 
As the world’s hunger specialist, we are working in remote areas to provide children assistance that are focused on their nutrition and health. But aside from this, we also enlighten their families on their roles in ensuring the health of their children, and educating them on the many external factors that can cause malnutrition.
 
Together, we can reach more families with our nutrition and health programs.
𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿.
https://actionagainsthunger.ph/call-for-donations/
 
(Photo by Maria Theresa Cortes for Action Against Hunger)

Trained to Train her Fellow Evacuees: Meet Soraya Camid, one of our #RealLifeHeroes

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“So kapangunab sa lima na ipakalidas ko mga sakit (Proper handwashing helps a lot in preventing diseases.)”

This is Soraya Camid’s constant advice to her fellow evacuees. Soraya and her family were one of the many people who were displaced because of the Marawi Siege back in 2017. After being trained by Action Against Hunger on basic hygiene promotion, she now volunteers as a Community Hygiene Promoter (CHP) in Sugod, Madalum, Lanao del Sur.

Last October 15, Soraya, together with her fellow CHPs and our Iligan team, celebrated #GlobalHandwashingDay by raising awareness on the importance of handwashing in preventing disease transmission and saving lives. They conducted a hygiene promotion session in Madalum, wherein Soraya shares her gained knowledge on WASH with her community.

Despite the struggles she experienced, Soraya moves forward and works hard to influence her community positively, making her one of our Real-Life Heroes. (Photos by Lowelyn Sumayo for Action Against Hunger)

Written by Lowelyn Sumayo.

Maximizing Efforts to Ensure Coverage of the Immediate Needs of Vulnerable Families

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Around 13.4 million Filipino families considered themselves poor, resulting to the highest self-rated poverty recorded in the last five years according to the 2019 SWS Survey. As poverty has direct effects to food insecurity, the hunger crisis in the Philippines is expected to worsen because of the pandemic.

Now more than ever, we are maximizing our efforts to ensure coverage of the immediate needs of vulnerable families that do not have access to food. With your help, we can provide more food packs, cash distributions, and livelihood support or cash-for-work programs for the communities we are working with.

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

(Photo by Alfons Rodriguez for Action Against Hunger)

Preventing and Managing Risk in Communities that are Prone to Disaster and Strengthening Their Resilience to Future Shocks

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The Philippines is ranked as the 8th most disaster-prone country all over the world in 2018.
 
At Action Against Hunger, we work to prevent and manage risk in communities that are prone to disaster and strengthen their resilience to future shocks. We help bolster local economies, improve infrastructure, and plan for long-term development.
 
We have been implementing community-based DRR projects over the last 10 years in the Philippines. Working alongside with the national government’s disaster risk reduction (DRR) law and climate change action plan, Action Against Hunger supports the local government units and local communities to be prepared, to mitigate and response to possible disaster events.
Between 2012-2017, we have supported 98,300 Filipinos through our DRR programs. 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘂𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲.
 
In the spirit of International Day of Disaster Risk Reduction, donate now. https://actionagainsthunger.ph/call-for-donations/
 
(Photo by EJ Villafranca for Action Against Hunger)

FROM ONE EMPOWERED YOUNG WOMAN, CHANGE SPREADS

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In our fight against hunger, we consider the different roles, needs and opportunities of men, women, boys and girls. Aside from conducting programs focused on life-saving humanitarian needs, we strive to improve these gaps, and make a lasting gender-responsive impact.
 
Part of this is acknowledging the roles of young girls as change-makers and future leaders, inspiring their peers to learn new skills and making an impact for their future endeavors.
 
However, we also recognize that in some communities, their voices are sometimes limited because of certain societal factors.
 
Help us implement gender transformative programs in the Philippines and expand the platforms for young girls all over the country to be the change they want to be.
 
𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘄.
https://actionagainsthunger.ph/call-for-donations/
 
(Photo by EJ Villafranca for Action Against Hunger)

Real Life Heroes: Nora Landas

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Last week, we sat down with Nora Landas, one of our Real-Life Heroes from Barangay Ilomavis, Kidapawan City. Nora shares the struggles of living in an evacuation site and the anxiety and stress that came along with them.
 
“It is never easy to live in tents. You’re not able to do the things you used to do, and it’s really a different feeling comparted to being in the comfort of your own home,” says Nora.
“How long are we going to be like this?” is a usual sentiment of mothers, young adults, and even children who are living in evacuation and transitory sites. Not only have their lives have changed due to the Mindanao earthquakes, the pandemic has worsened the situation ever since social activities in the sites have been limited.

(Photo by Debbie Olivo for Action Against Hunger)

 

It wasn’t until Nora and her fellow volunteers applied mental health and psychosocial (MHPSS) care practices that insights in the community started becoming more positive. “The PSS sessions conducted in our respective assigned areas rekindled the social involvement between members of the community.” People appreciated the things they’ve learned from the sessions while at the same time enjoying the company of other parents and adults.

(Photo by Debbie Olivo for Action Against Hunger)

Together with our Earthquake Response Team, volunteers also provided the participants with education and information on nutrition & health.

Nora and her fellow volunteers were trained on a series of community-based PSS Sessions conducted last February by Action Against Hunger Philippines and funded by the European Union. The activity aimed to give equal importance to mental and social health among internally displaced persons (IDPs).

Life-saving Humanitarian Assistance to People Affected by the Mindanao Earthquake is funded by the European Union, and implemented by Action Against Hunger Philippines, CARE Philippines, and ACCORD Incorporated.

Written by Debbie Olivo.

Celebrating Global Hand Washing Day

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In celebration of 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 day on October 15, our teams presented their commitments to promote #CleanHandsforAll, spreading awareness on the importance of handwashing with soap to prevent diseases like COVID-19, and save lives. 💙💧🧼

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Providing Shelter Kits to 76 Households in Sayaban Transitory Sites, Barangay Ilomawis, Kidapawan City, North Cotobato

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Written by Joayra Gem Balagtas for Action Against Hunger
“I remember, we had to sleep on the floor with just sacks during our first nights in the tent. You will feel the cold mud beneath it, but it’s all we had at that time,” recalls 56 year-old evacuee, Josephine Barila.
 
To say that life in the evacuation site is not the most comfortable, is truly an understatement. Evacuees try their best to survive daily through the aid they receive, and whatever is left or saved from their properties.
 
Access to shelter is not only a basic need but also a human right, and because of the pandemic, having an adequate home that guarantees safety is more important now than ever. In order to address this, our Emergency Response Team provided shelter kits to 76 households in Sayaban Transitory Sites, Barangay Ilomawis, Kidapawan City, North Cotabato last September 11. The kits include materials that evacuees can use to build beds or platforms inside their evacuation tents. ‘Build Back Safer’ awareness sessions were also conducted.
 
Through this assistance, we hope to provide some comfort to the evacuees who have been displaced since the #MindanaoEarthquakes late last year.
 
This was made possible through the funding of the EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid – ECHO and support from our consortium partners from CARE Philippines and ACCORD Incorporated.
 
(Photos by Joayra Gem Balagtas for Action Against Hunger)

The Risk of COVID-19 to Undernourished People, Young Children, and Elders

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Undernourished people, especially young children, who contract COVID-19 could be at greater risk. While elderly people are deemed most at risk of COVID-19, the virus attacks the lungs, which is especially alarming for undernourished children whose risk of mortality increases 15-fold if they develop pneumonia.

To counter this, we need to support health facilities in their fight against the pandemic. In addition to this, we are working hard in maintaining the continuity of our maternal and child health programs.

You can help us strengthen and expand our activities focused on child malnutrition, support for women and psychosocial support.

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

Strengthening our Risk Communication and Community Engagement Efforts to Prevent Spread of the Coronavirus

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Part of our initiatives in preventing the spread of the coronavirus is by strengthening our risk communication and community engagement efforts which have reached more than 200,000 people.

Wherever we work, we motivate families and communities to uphold proper hygiene and sanitation practices through our hygiene promotion sessions, allowing them to understand the value of hygiene in fighting infectious diseases, as well as hunger and malnutrition.

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗯𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: https://actionagainsthunger.ph/call-for-donations/