Tag Archive for: #philippines

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.

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)

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.

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Life After The Mindanao Earthquake: 82 Year Old Man Living By Himself

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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 ?????????? ????????? ???????? ???? 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 ????-?????? ???????????? ?????????? ?? ??? ?????? ???????? ?? ??? #?????????????????? which is funded by the EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid – ECHO.

To find out more on our Emergency Responses in the Philippines, go to:
https://actionagainsthunger.ph/what-we-do/…

Awareness Training on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in the Community and Municipalities of Mindanao City

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Humanitarian crises create devastating impacts to the communities affected, but what is most scarring is the psychological trauma and stress that these emergency situations leave behind.

We are steadfast in mitigating these impacts and work closely with several conflict-affected communities in Mindanao.

Thus, last August, we facilitated an ????????? ???????? ?? ?????? ?????? ??? ???????????? ??????? ???? ??? ??????????? ?? ?????? ??? ????????? for 60 community volunteers, leaders and LGU health staff members from the municipalities of Saguiaran, Kapai, Balindong and Madamba in Lanao del Sur, and Municipality of Pantao Ragat in Lanao Del Sur.

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Funded by EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid – ECHO, the training was part of our ‘Response to the Unmet Humanitarian Needs of the Most Vulnerable Conflict-Affected Populations in Mindanao’ (REACH) Project in partnership with CARE Philippines and Oxfam Pilipinas.

Subscribe to our newsletter to learn more about our ????????? ??? ?????? ????????: https://actionagainsthunger.ph/

Life After The Mindanao Earthquake: Wheels of Hope

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“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.

 

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 Joayra Gem Balagtas

Ensuring the Health and Safety of the Communities We Work with Through Nutrition-sensitization Trainings

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Prior to the pandemic, the Philippines was already one of the top 10 countries worldwide with the highest number of stunted children. This is alarming since the risk of mortality among undernourished children, increases 15-fold if they develop pneumonia.

Because of this, we rolled out nutrition-sensitization trainings for our local government partners and health volunteers who are our allies in ensuring the health and safety of the communities we work with.

Learn more about our programs on nutrition & health: https://actionagainsthunger.ph/what-we-do/#nutrition-and-health

#TogetherAgainstCOVID19, #COVID19PH, #COVID19, #EndHungerPH,
#nutrition, #health, #malnutrition, #childhunger, #filipinochildren, #philippines, #developmentwork, #humanitarianwork, #frontliners