Marawi Situation Poses Risks to Children’s Well-Being

Rosela and her family fled north to an evacuation centre in Iligan City, when the armed conflict began between the Philippine Army and local armed militia groups last May 23 in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur.

“Those were the longest days of our lives. I was very worried about my children and no matter how I wanted to be positive, my fears of losing any one of my family members shook me to the core,” said the 37-year old mother of three.

Rosela and her 3 children, one of the families, temporarily sheltered in Iligan City.

Rosela got so worried about her youngest child, 2-year old Mercy, who kept crying every time she heard gunshots and explosions in the earlier days of the fight. One of her daughters could hardly utter a word. Rosela knew her daughters were in shock by what’s happening.

“Life is not easy here but I’m glad we’re all alive. I don’t want to go back to Marawi yet. I’m afraid that the conflict will happen again and I don’t want my children to go through the same experience,” she lamented.

Rosela’s family is just one of the thousands of families displaced by the ongoing fight in Marawi City.

As of May 31, the number of internally displaced persons (IDP) has reached 218, 665 individuals, or 43,733 families, according to the Autonomous Region in Muslin Mindanao (ARMM) Emergency Action and Response Team. Of the total number, 109, 510 people (21, 882 families) are house-based IDPs or those who are staying with relatives while 24, 910 persons (4,838 families) are in evacuation centres.

Living in the evacuation centre sheltering at least 1000 families posed challenges for the evacuees. Immediate needs in the center include clothes for children, sleeping materials among others. Rosela expressed worry about her children’s health and education, as the new school year is also about to open.

2-year old Mercy coping from the discomfort of the cramped evacuation center

“Mercy is now having rashes because it’s hot and humid here. I also don’t know where to enroll my children because we still can’t go back to Marawi. The school opening was supposed to be on Monday,” she reckoned. Reports show the schooling of at least 22,000 elementary and high school students would be disrupted due to the continuing fights in the area.

“World Vision is gravely concerned about the situation of the displaced families, especially the children who are now suffering the consequences of the firefight,” shares World Vision’s Humanitarian and Emergency Affairs Director Ajab Macapagat.

In the next days, World Vision will initially distribute emergency relief items that include hygiene kits, non-food items like blanket, mosquito nets, mats and malong to at least 2,000 families who are now in the evacuation centres in Iligan City. In coordination with the Department of Education or DepEd, temporary learning spaces and learners’ kits are also being children.

World Vision also looks into installing child-friendly spaces, for children to have a safe space to play, learn and be provided psycho-social care to help kids cope from the crisis.

“We are closely coordinating with the social welfare department, the local government and other humanitarian actors on the ground to see how we can best complement the government’s efforts. We also call on everyone to help us stand with the people of Marawi,” Macapagat adds.

“Despite what we’re going through, it feels good to know that Christians and Muslims are helping each other,” shared Rosela. “It’s a tough time but we are hopeful that this will soon pass.”

To extend your help to the people displaced by Marawi crisis, visit www.worldvision.org.ph/help-people-marawi or call 372-77-77, for more information.