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.
(Photo by EJ Villafranca for Action Against Hunger)
https://actionagainsthunger.ph/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/AAH1-1.jpg960960Adminhttps://actionagainsthunger.ph/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/logo_text_orig.pngAdmin2020-10-11 09:00:182020-12-07 07:38:54FROM ONE EMPOWERED YOUNG WOMAN, CHANGE SPREADS
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)
https://actionagainsthunger.ph/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/AAH1111.jpg612816Adminhttps://actionagainsthunger.ph/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/logo_text_orig.pngAdmin2020-10-05 10:20:482021-03-24 06:26:27Providing Shelter Kits to 76 Households in Sayaban Transitory Sites, Barangay Ilomawis, Kidapawan City, North Cotobato
Written by Joayra Gem Balagtas for Action Against Hunger
82-year old Pedro Sanchez has been living alone in the evacuation site in Perez, Kidapawan ever since the Mindanao earthquakes last year. All three of his children now have families of their own. They would sometimes send him financial help, but it is usually not enough to support Pedro since their families have needs as well.
More than a year ago, Pedro was diagnosed with diabetes and suffered a stroke, and he hasn’t been able to walk ever since. He can hardly hear as well, which he says could probably be because of his old age.
Pedro relies on his good neighbors for assistance in taking care of himself. Whenever he has money, he asks his neighbors to buy him supplies and food. They also volunteer to do his laundry and other chores that he has trouble doing by himself. However, there are days where his neighbors aren’t around to help him, so no matter how challenging, he does these tasks on his own.
Last September 21, our 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗘𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺 provided Pedro a wheelchair, to help him go through his daily activities with more ease. Teary-eyed, Pedro expressed his gratitude as he saw the wheelchair being pulled towards his tent.
Pedro is one of the 200 target beneficiaries to receive health and protection assistance as part of our 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲-𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 #𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗼𝗘𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗸𝗲 which is funded by the EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid – ECHO.
https://actionagainsthunger.ph/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Oct-1-P1.jpg314232Adminhttps://actionagainsthunger.ph/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/logo_text_orig.pngAdmin2020-10-01 01:06:152021-03-24 06:27:10Life After The Mindanao Earthquake: 82 Year Old Man Living By Himself
Aldin Beta-A is more than a DRR Supervisor for our MOVE UP 3 Project, he is one of our Real-Life Heroes.
After spearheading the Resilient Livelihood Support turnover for 50 families in Marikina last September 18, he shares his experience as a humanitarian worker and working tirelessly to help others amidst the pandemic.
When did you start being involved in development work? My initial employment was focused on ancestral domain management after I graduated back in 2000. After that, I was mostly involved in the agricultural field and was also part of an earthquake rehabilitation program. In 2006, I was deployed in Southern Luzon, in Aurora, for a community disaster risk reduction program. Thereafter, I was more involved on humanitarian responses during in 2013 until now.
What were your struggles as a humanitarian worker, especially now during the pandemic? Well, the normal struggle is how to expedite the process given that time is limited, and especially now that transportation between areas have become challenging. The common way we communicate now is through non-face-to-face interactions which can be challenging when it comes to decision-making.
What motivates you to continue a career in humanitarian work? As a humanitarian worker, it is common in our DNA to help others and doing no harm, so that motivates me to help others even if it needs more patience or innovative ways of getting things done.
What are your hopes and dreams for the future? My hope for the future is for us to continuously adapt. I see that we constantly change as a society, even though we experience many hazards or risks. I see that as we can adapt to these different disasters and emergencies, and cope as human beings.
“Mother, why are we different from other kids?” asks 6-year old John Rey to his mother, Janisa. John Rey and his two older brothers Christian and Gary Jr., have not been able to walk and run like other children because of a bone condition that started when each of them turned six years old.
Janisa looks at John Rey and finds it difficult to answer his question. Even the doctors that they consulted could not determine the reason why her sons’ bones in their lower bodies were shrinking. All the doctors could recommend was to conduct more medical examinations to determine the cause of the boys’ conditions and how to treat it.
The eldest, Gary Jr. who is now 13 years old, has trouble sitting down and usually spends days lying on the sleeping mat. The father, Gary Sr., earns just enough to get by their daily needs as an on-call carpenter. Janisa stays at home and takes care of the children. As much as they want to have their sons treated, they have limited financial capabilities to do so.
To make matters worse, their community in Balabag, Kidapawan was affected by the series of earthquakes that struck Mindanao during the last quarter of 2019. The disaster affected more than 300,000 people, almost half of them displaced, including Gary Sr. and Janisa’s family.
Despite their struggles, the Lopez family continues to move forward especially after our Earthquake Response Protection Team, together with the Integrated Provincial Health Office – IPHO and the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), referred and assisted the Lopez brothers to Kidapawan City Public Hospital and other private hospitals in the area for more extensive check-ups and medical examinations. John Rey, Christian, and Gary Jr. each received wheelchairs courtesy of the IPHO, and the CSWD provided financial assistance for their family. Action Against Hunger continues to monitor the condition of the three children.
Prior to the referral, the Lopezes also received humanitarian support forms of multi-purpose cash transfer, hygiene and shelter kits. Inside their evacuation tent, Janisa watches her two youngest sons play, the eldest brother lies in his back beside them. The boys may not be able to use their legs like other children, but Janisa is hopeful that at least her sons will now be able to walk and run in their own special way with the help of their new wheelchairs.
https://actionagainsthunger.ph/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/rsz_sep_17_p1.jpg344612Adminhttps://actionagainsthunger.ph/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/logo_text_orig.pngAdmin2020-09-17 06:41:422021-09-27 12:56:29Life After The Mindanao Earthquake: Wheels of Hope
