THE Catholic Church, through the National Secretariat for Social Action (Nassa)/Caritas Philippines, will implement a P10-million humanitarian response, including provision of halal food, to evacuees from Marawi City.
Nassa/Caritas Philippines Executive Secretary Fr. Edwin Gariguez said the response will cover the essential needs of 3,000 families or 15,000 individuals, in Iligan City, such as halal food, and nonfood items, like hygiene kits, household items and sleeping kits.
The national Caritas will also conduct psychosocial activities, hygiene-promotion awareness, emergency preparedness and accountability trainings.
“We are targeting the home-based evacuees or those staying in their relatives’ houses, because our assessment showed that many were still underserved. The concentration of the responses by other organizations is mostly in the evacuation centers,” Gariguez said.
Nassa/Caritas Philippines earlier launched a solidarity appeal to all 85 dioceses nationwide. Among those responding to the appeal were the dioceses of Jaro, Lucena, Iba, Imus, Alaminos, Antipolo, Bacolod, Bontoc-Lagawe, San Jose and Calapan.
Caritas Manila also allocated P2-million relief assistance to those affected by the crisis in Marawi City through the Diocese of Iligan Social Action Center.
Data from the Office of the Civil Defense-National Emergency Operations Center showed a total of 102,860 families, or 465,674 individuals, were displaced by the armed conflict in Marawi City. Of these, 4,977 families, or 27,0004 individuals, are staying in 85 evacuation centers, while 97,883 families, or 438,685 persons, are home based or staying with their relatives in eight regions.
The response, which will cover 12 communities in Iligan City, is being implemented through the newly formed operations group comprising of religious sisters and lay volunteers of the Diocese of Iligan.
Nassa/Caritas Philippines is the humanitarian development and advocacy arm of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.
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