ReliefWeb

IOM and the Provincial Government of North Cotabato in the Philippines have provided 129 conflict-affected families in Mindanao with shelter repair kits and non-food relief items.

A land dispute between two warring commanders forced these families to flee their homes in the municipality of Kabacan in January this year. Since then, they had been living in difficult conditions in evacuation centres or with friends and relatives.

The assistance consisted of shelter repair kits, including nails and local building materials to help the families to rebuild their homes.

They also received gardening tools, vegetable seeds, water jugs and water sprinklers. These will help them to grow their own food and to earn some income through the sale of any surplus vegetables.

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council of North Cotabato, which is chaired by the provincial local government, requested IOM's assistance in March. IOM then chanelled its assistance through the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office (PSWDO).

The assistance is part of IOM's efforts to restore communities in Mindanao, which has been wracked by natural disasters and outbursts of violence between clans and other armed combatants over the past several years.

IOM's programme to help families in Mindanao is supported by the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF)-funded project on Camp Coordination and Camp Management and Protection for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Central Mindanao.

For more information, please contact Maria Ena Olmedo at IOM Mindanao. Tel. +63 064 421 1366. Email: eolmedo@iom.int