Two years after the onset of the complex emergency in Mindanao,
IOM, with support from the Humanitarian Aid Department of the
European Commission (ECHO), is helping internally displaced
families who have returned home to restart their lives.

The "Assisting Sustainable IDP Return to Communities of Origin
in Maguindanao" project, which targets 7,500 returnees, is being
implemented by IOM in coordination with the Department of Social
Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Agriculture
and Fisheries (DAF).

Many displaced families lost everything when they were forced to
flee the conflict and the project is helping them to rebuild their
homes and to restart their livelihoods. It is also rebuilding and
upgrading community infrastructure.

To date IOM has helped 240 returnee families to rebuild their
houses by providing them with basic materials including timber,
plywood, galvanized corrugated iron (CGI) sheets and locally
procured materials for walls ("kalakat") and roofing ("nipa").

Some 250 families have also received livelihood packages
consisting of either farming or fishing equipment. This includes
fishing nets, canoes ("bancas"), agricultural tools, rice, corn and
vegetable seeds.

The project is also building or renovating community centres,
solar dryers, warehouses, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)
facilities, and schools in its three target areas of Barangay
Kalumamis, Guindulungan municipality; Barangay Katibpuan, Talayan
municipality; and Barangay Ganta, Mother Kabuntalan
municipality.

IOM is also working with the communities to build their capacity
to cope with future disasters through disaster preparedness
training.

For more information, please contact:

Jasper L. Llanderal

IOM Mindanao

Tel: +63.64.421.1366

E-mail: "mailto:jllanderal@iom.int">jllanderal@iom.int