Child-focused NGO World Vision Development Foundation conducted a series of child protection and peace-building activities during the celebration of the Marawi Week of Peace, spearheaded by the Task Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM), held last May 17 to 27 in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur.
During that week, World Vision provided school bags, notebooks and pens with learning materials promoting child protection to at least 1,679 students from five public schools.
In partnership with the Department of Education (DepEd), the Ministry of Basic Higher Technical and Madaris Education and the Marawi Operation Center, World Vision also conducted mental health and psychosocial support activities for 90 parents and 60 children.
Rommel V. Fuerte, World Vision’s National Director in the Philippines shared, “It has been a great honor for us to work with TFBM, the city government of Marawi, and all government agencies and partners towards building back a better Marawi, where children can thrive and fulfill their dreams”. Fuerte encouraged everyone to achieve hope, joy and justice for all children.
To help families augment their daily food needs, promote nutrition and maintain good health especially of children, World Vision also distributed 400 packs of vegetable seeds such as eggplant, pechay, okra, and string beans to supported barangays.
Hand washing facilities were also constructed in five World Vision-assisted communities, including one that was launched opened during the Week of Peace in the effort to also fight the COVID-19 pandemic through access to water and hygiene facilities.
It has been four years since World Vision started its emergency and recovery response and other child-focused programs to complement the government’s efforts and assist thousands of affected civilians and displaced families in the aftermath of the violent city-wide armed clash which massively devastated Marawi in May 2017.
World Vision, globally, also observes the coming United Nations’s World Refugee Day on June 20 to celebrate the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home countries or displaced internally, to escape conflict for safety and protection. World Refugee Day is an occasion to build empathy and understanding for their plight and to recognize their resilience in rebuilding their lives.
Currently, World Vision implements two projects namely the Urban Child Protection Project and the Marawi Peace and Protection Project-Phase which promotes peace-building among the youth, education, child protection in schools and the communities among others. Both projects aim to cover a total of 12 barangays with 6,800 children as target beneficiaries.
