TALAYAN, MAGUINDANAO, PHILIPPINES –Community and Family Services International (CFSI) supported the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in distributing core relief items (CRIs) to 563 displaced families on 27 June. The families, which are approximately 2,815 individuals, were survivors of a recent armed conflict in the nearby town.

A set of CRIs composed of mosquito nets and tarpaulins to cover up temporary tents were provided to the displaced families who are seeking refuge in two evacuation sites. CFSI and UNHCR handed these over to the families following the safety protocols of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sambay Port, a mother of three, is among the forcibly displaced staying in a transitory tent in one of the evacuation sites.

“Delikado apeg ah mapasang sa bakwitan uged na nya ba a tabang na masla abenal e guna nin salekami, magamit name den sa e kulambo apeg na trapal anan. (It’s dangerous and uncomfortable to stay in an evacuation site. But the mosquito nets and tarpaulins are a big help to ease the discomfort.),” said Port.

Sambay Port is one of the 2,815 individuals who are forcibly displaced due to armed conflict in Maguindanao. She was also among the evacuees who received core relief items from CFSI and UNHCR.

(From left) Babay Akmad, Ukil Samid, and Fatima Hadji Abdul fled their homes with their family and are now staying in a transitory tent in the evacuation site. They are thankful to the CRIs received and shared that these were the first set of aid they had since evacuation.

On 20 June, a clash between the government forces and a militant group resulted in firefighting and mortar shelling that forced the families to flee their homes and stay in safer areas. The families are still in the evacuation sites and may stay indefinitely as the armed clashes continue to escalate in their community.

The distribution of core relief items is part of the Mindanao Protection Project (MPP) that aims to deliver assistance to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). The MPP is implemented in partnership with UNHCR covering the province of Maguindanao and the Special Geographic Areas in the Province of North Cotabato under the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), Philippines. #