Staff from CFSI’s Psychosocial Support to IDPs Project in Zamboanga City, headed by Project Officer Lorelie Estores-Panganiban (center), paid a courtesy visit to Zamboanga City Mayor Ma. Isabelle “Beng” Climaco (second from right) on February 14, 2014, to introduce CFSI and the project.
The project – for internally displaced people, with a focus on those with special needs – is designed to provide psychosocial support to children through the provision of psychological first aid, the creation of safe environments for children, and the empowerment of families through community initiatives.
Other members of the CFSI team to visit Mayor Climaco were Logistics Assistant Hariri Centi (far left), Community Organizer Ruayna Adjail (second from left), and Senior Community Organizer Faizal Bahidjan (far right).
More than 60,000 people remain displaced in Zamboanga following conflict between the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines in September. CFSI has had a continuous presence in Zamboanga City since 17 September, working with a range of partners to provide much-needed humanitarian interventions, including the DSWD, UNICEF and Western Mindanao State University’s College of Social Work and Community Development.