When his children passed away, Hadji Ali took the responsibility of being the parent to five of his grandkids. For thirty years, he ran a business making sidecars to support his family. Hadji was also the first barangay chairperson of Guimba, Marawi City. When the war erupted in his homeland, the livelihood he had built for over three decades was destroyed and left in ruins.
At 68 years old with five children to support, no source of income, and his hometown ravaged from the war, Hadji became relief-dependent. Still, hope was restored for Hadji and his family.
Through the Marawi Support Project (MRP), Hadji was selected as a beneficiary of the Livelihood Support program where recipients were provided with livelihood equipment such as welding tools, a sewing machine, coconut grater, printer set, miter saw for aluminum and glass supply, and furniture tools.
On November 28 2018, Kerrie Anderson, Counsellor of the Australian Embassy in the Philippines, handed over the livelihood support of six Marawi Recovery Project (MRP) beneficiaries in a ceremonial livelihood handover held during the Second Meeting of the Project Steering Committee of MRP. Hadji Ali was among these beneficiaries.
As of 21 December 2018, MRP has already implemented more than 600 livelihood support. Around 827 are awaiting for procurement and distribution. The Government of Australia has provided AUD 2,500,000 to the recovery efforts of CFSI and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UN FAO) through the MRP.
