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A Beneficiary of Our Cash Transfer Program Is Now Able to Prepare Quality Meals for Her Family

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As the world’s leading hunger specialist, we prioritize vulnerable families and individuals who are more at risk to not only hunger and malnutrition, but are also susceptible to it’s causes—such as poverty, diseases, disasters or even conflicts. For example, most of our beneficiaries for cash-based interventions are identified through nutrition-focused targeting; like Sittie Palao –one of the beneficiaries for our Marawi Crisis response four years ago.

#ThrowbackThursday: 𝗦𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗲 𝗔𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗣𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗼 is a mother of 3 from the Municipality of Buadiposo Buntong, Lanao del Sur which back in December 2017 was greatly affected by #TyphoonTembin. Their municipality is also host to internally displaced persons from the #MarawiSiege.

At the time, Sittie and her husband’s source of income was halted due to the impacts of the typhoon. To make matters more challenging for them, Sittie and two of her children were suffering from malnutrition.

Because of this, Action Against Hunger supported Sittie’s family in restoring their livelihoods through our cash transfer program. On February 2019, Sittie received cash assistance amounting to 7,000 pesos, in addition to 3 rounds of food aid. They were also referred to the regional health unit for treatment using the Ready-to-use Therapeutic and Supplementary Food (RUTF and RUSF).

A month after, Sittie shared that with the food aid given, she is now able to prepare quality meals for her family and that unlike before they no longer eat just once a day.

Through these types of interventions, we hope to empower more women like to take control of their health and nutrition, at the same time enabling them to provide for themselves and their families.

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗦𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗲’𝘀 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆:
https://actionagainsthunger.ph/…/nutrition-focused-program…/

Stories from the Field: Francisco Arago

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Francisco Arago almost lost everything. His source of income is raising pigs and doing carpentry work but he was barely earning enough. Carpentry work only comes along about every 3 months and pig-raising can be hit or miss. On occasion, when work is scarce and the pig’s weight too low to sell, he asks for food from his siblings.

When #typhoonulyssesPH made landfall in his community in Solana, Cagayan on November 11, 2020, this brought about heavy flooding that destroyed his bed and greatly damaged his home.

To help recover what he lost, Francisco was given 5,200 pesos cash assistance through our Multi-purpose Cash Transfer program. This is part of our Humanitarian Assistance to #TyphoonVamco Affected Communities in Region II, which is supported by EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid – ECHO and co-implemented with Plan International Philippines, CARE Philippines, and ACCORD Incorporated.

 

Multi-Purpose Cash Transfer (MPCT) program in Cagayan Valley

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“Ever since the typhoon damaged my roof, whenever it rains, water seeps inside my house. The money will allow me to finally fix it.”

Jolibeth Maguay and her family was included in our Multi-purpose Cash transfer (MPCT) program that has benefited 4,673 households in Cagayan Valley affected by Typhoon Ulysses. For 2 months, she, her husband, and 8 children endured the leaking roof because the family had no extra income to have it repaired. Her husband, a farm laborer without a stable income source, and Jolibeth, a homemaker who does laundry whenever she can, were barely earning enough for their daily food and hygiene needs.

“I will buy a sack of rice as well because my family has experienced not eating regular meals before.”

Our efforts are made possible through support from EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid – ECHO . This is a consortium project implemented with CARE Philippines, ACCORD Incorporated, and Plan International Philippines.

𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽:
https://actionagainsthunger.ph/

Year 2020 was Twice as Challenging for a 71-year-old

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2020 was difficult for all of us, but it was twice as challenging for 71-year-old Merlyn Igaan.

Her community in Sitio Embassi, Barangay Perez in Kidapawan City was badly affected by the series of earthquakes that hit Mindanao in late 2019. Ever since then, she and her family have been living in an evacuation site. Late last year, they had to transfer to another site and build their tent anew because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Earning for a living as a senior citizen is becoming so difficult, especially since the earthquake. Aside from my old age, I am afraid to go back to the farm. I fear that an earthquake might occur again while I’m there,” she said.

Merlyn was one of the 1,200 families from the provinces of Davao Del Sur and North Cotabato had been given cash assistance through our #MindanaoEarthquake Emergency Response last year. This project was funded by EU Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid – ECHO.

With your support, we can reach more families affected by disasters with our life-saving aid.
𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽:
htttp://actionagainsthunger.ph

OMPONG LEAVES TRAIL OF DEVASTATION

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In the morning of September 15, Sinamar’s home in Barangay Camp 3 of Tuba, Benguet was caught in a landslide due to Typhoon Ompong. Sinamar, her husband Dennis, their 6-year-old son and other relatives managed to safely evacuate the area. Unfortunately, they also lost a family member as Dennis’ aunt was initially trapped under the eroded soil that buried her home. Four months after their ordeal, Sinamar and her family were left without a home and had to temporarily reside in the evacuation center located at their Barangay’s elementary school.    “We couldn’t pass through the main road because it was already eroded by then, so we climbed through the mountain despite the landslide. When we got to the hospital, we stayed there for a week because the children were traumatized,” recalled Sinamar.

Fifty-five-year-old Editha had a similar experience as she, her husband Philip, and their 3 youngest children had to leave their home after the typhoon left damages to their area. They, along with several other families, were no longer allowed to return to their home in Barangay Gumatdang, Itogon, Benguet after it was categorized as part of the danger zone. This left them no choice but to rent a house nearby at ₱3,000 per month. Before Ompong, Philip used to have a stable income by working in the mines. Since the mines needed to be closed for safety purposes, for the time being he creates soft reed brooms which Editha sells in the city. Editha also takes laundry and cleaning jobs as added income. “I hope there won’t be another typhoon like Ompong. Right now, I just wish we’ll be able to go back to our old home so that we won’t have to pay monthly rent,” said Editha.

Editha shares her story how they had to evacuate from their home after a landslide occurred in their neighborhood due to Ompong.

Typhoon Ompong, internationally referred to as Mangkhut, made landfall on September 15, 2018 as a category 4 typhoon with sustained wind speeds of over 200 km/h and gusts of up to over 300 km/h.  The large diameter of the typhoon, close to 900 km, affected Regions I, II, III, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), IV-A, IV-B and Metro Manila. Damages to infrastructure and agricultural resulted to an estimated 33.9 Billion Pesos – the 4th costliest typhoon in Philippine history.

The families of Sinamar and Editha including more than 2.14 Million individuals were affected by the typhoon. The landslides proved fatal for families in Benguet, with a total of 71 deaths and 50 injuries confirmed by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

Action Against Hunger’s Mission Emergency Response Team were on the ground immediately after Typhoon Ompong made landfall and assessed the humanitarian needs of the affected communities in Benguet from September 15 to 20 and have since provided necessary interventions thereafter since provided necessary interventions. Sinamar and Editha’s families were some of the beneficiaries that were given hygiene kits and financial aid as part of Action Against Hunger’s water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and food security, & livelihood (FSL) projects funded by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), European Union – Civil Protection & Humanitarian Aid (ECHO), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). ●

 

LIFE AFTER THE SIEGE – MARAWI EMERGENCY RESPONSE

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Rohaima & Usman Bungkas had a general merchandise store in the commercial district of Marawi. After being displaced for almost a year following the Marawi siege, the family came back to find their store destroyed. With four teenage children to take care of, the couple needed an income source.

The Palaso family had similar struggles. Fatima Palaso, her husband Arman, and 5 children found refuge from the violence in the nearby town of Balindong.  Her family’s only source of income was Arman’s livelihood as a driver-for-hire – not enough for the household.  With only a thousand-peso-capital, Fatima decided to open a small store to augment their income.

As part of the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Livelihood Restoration Project implemented by Action Against Hunger, Fatima, Rohaima and Usman were some of the beneficiaries who attended a series of financial management orientations and received a cash grant of ₱10,000.

Rohaima and Usman opened a small eatery in Barangay Luksadato which now earns ₱11,500 per month. “I am very happy for the support I received to put up my eatery. If not for this, my family would not have any income at all. I am very grateful,” said Rohaima.

Rohaima and Usman hapilly accommodate a customer buying a meal from their eatery

 

Fatima on the other hand used the grant as additional capital. Her store now earns ₱ 8,000 net income monthly. “The cash grant is a big help for my family because my store is getting bigger.  I now have money for the daily school expenses of my children.” She is positive that her store’s success helped them overcome the initial hardships they endured when they fled Marawi. ●

CONSTANT DISPLACEMENT – MAGUINDANAO EMERGENCY RESPONSE

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Kautin Bano, his wife and children, had to leave their home in Barangay Pandi, Datu Salibo on March 11, 2019, Maguindanao due to the airstrikes that occurred in Barangay Inaladan, Shariff Saydona.

“We were all panicking and we didn’t know what to do at the time that airstrikes started,” recalled Kautin. “We left around 6 in the morning and evacuated to the nearest health center. When we got there, we had no choice but to wait and observe.”

This was not the first time that Kautin and his family were forced to leave their home. During the 1980s, they had to evacuate several times due to a conflict that started with a personal grudge between powerful families. In 2000, they went through a long evacuation process because of the all-out-war against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Mindanao. Eight years after, Kautin’s family were part of the 390,000 people displaced when the renewed fighting took place in October 2008 after the drafting of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD).

This time around, Kautin’s family face the same challenges they experienced as frequent evacuees. He explained how difficult their situation was due to the limited supply of clean water. They had to wait for a month until the barangay was able to provide them access to potable water. As a farmer and a fisherman, Kautin’s source of income was put on hold. “We couldn’t go back to our livelihoods because of the conflict in the area,” he explained.

Kautin and his family have experienced the struggle of leaving their home ang setting aside their livelihood for the past three decades. Until this day, he still worries and fears for that time that they would be forced to evacuate again due to another conflict.

Kautin’s family was one of the six hundred families that received non-food items (NFI) and hygiene kits and received training on hygiene and sanitation from Action Against Hunger’s emergency response funded by the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) of United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID). ●