IDPs in Northern Kabuntalan receive help in rebuilding community

Cotabato City - The Government of the Philippines - United Nations (GoP-UN) ACT for Peace Programme, through its Strengthening Response to Internal Displacement (StRIDe) Mindanao Project, turned-over last week package of assistance to residents of Barangay Damatog in Northern Kabuntalan, Maguindanao who have been displaced by the latest military conflict and flooding in the area.

The assistance includes the construction of 40 core shelters amounting to P2 Million, a barangay health station, the establishment of a Botika ng Barangay and some livelihood support.

The residents will do the construction work themselves under a ‘food for work’ scheme which also serves as counterpart of the local government of Northern Kabuntalan.

Around 120 displaced families were provided with tools such as fish nets, farm implements and sewing machines as well as chicks for poultry production to help start over their livelihood. Beneficiaries were also given hygiene kits.
The assistance is intended to help residents rebuild their lives with multi-stakeholder’s support.

Mayor Ramil Dilangalen said residents of Damatog suffered heavy losses from the sporadic clashes and severe flood. “We are happy and grateful to receive this package of assistance from StRIDe Mindanao Project. It goes a long way in helping these residents get back to their normal life,” he said.

Funded by the European Commission, StRIDe Mindanao Project is supporting the rehabilitation of a total of 30 conflict-affected communities in Mindanao, 6 of which, including Barangay Damatog, are in Maguindanao.

The project aims to contribute to the “establishment of a durable solution to internal displacement by improving delivery of assistance to victims of armed conflicts, promoting IDP rights and strengthening response to prevent displacement.”

Among those who graced the turnover ceremony was Camille Hagstrom, Deputy Director for Operations of the European Commission, who was delighted to see the projects and all the stakeholders. Barangay Damatog, she said, would be “a very good example that IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) can start to rebuild.”

She said the ongoing rehabilitation in Damatog “proves that this is feasible”.

After only being displaced for 3 months, most residents of Damatog were the first among those in the 11 barangays affected by conflict in Northern Kabuntalan to start returning home.

All stakeholders have upheld a ‘covenant for the safe return of IDPs’ among the officials of the 11 barangays, municipal officials, military and IDP leaders that was forged in May this year after a series of dialogues. (bpi-armm)