Alizain Tahir is with Community and Family Services International (CFSI) for more than a decade now. As the Project Coordinator of the Mindanao Protection Project (MPP), he and his team have been instrumental in providing assistance to Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) and the most vulnerable individuals in areas of Mindanao, Philippines.

Alizain’s family was also forcibly displaced back in his early childhood. He relates to the sufferings and hardships faced by these evacuees, especially those who are recurrently displaced.

“Working in CFSI that has a large humanitarian mission provides me the opportunity to serve IDPs and help others in most extreme circumstances,” he said.

However, COVID-19 pandemic posted several challenges in reaching out to their beneficiaries. The project team faced difficulties on accessing and interacting personally with Persons of Concern (POCs) particularly those from remote and far-flung areas due to mobility restriction.

Despite this, Alizain’s team was able to continue responding to and addressing the immediate protection needs of the recently displaced populations. In the first half of the year alone, they were able to provide 9,750 Core Relief Items (CRIs) that benefitted a total of 2,591 families.

Alizain also began new initiatives to adapt to the new normal situation due to COVID-19. They included a Public Health Specialist (PHS) to the team to assist to the medical needs of the IDPs. Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) facilities and projects were prioritized in communities. Lastly, the project team receives psychosocial debriefing and regular supply of personal protective equipment (PPE).

“I did this to contribute to the great work of CFSI, to respond to and address the needs of the uprooted people and others in extremely difficult circumstances,” he mentioned.

For Alizain, doing the humanitarian work and helping others in this difficult circumstance is not just a job, but an essential element of his faith that motivates him to do more and better.

He hopes to devote the next years of his duties in serving more susceptible communities. The 11 years and nine months of career as a humanitarian worker are more than an achievement that he will proudly impart to his children in the future. #