IOM has launched a USD 4.29 million appeal to help thousands of
families returning home from evacuation centres in the southern
Philippines island of Mindanao to rebuild their lives.

The appeal is part of a USD 34.5 million, one-year UN
Humanitarian Action Plan (HAP) for Conflict-Affected Areas in
Mindanao launched in Manila on Wednesday, which targets nearly
450,000 people in Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, North Cotabato, South
Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Lanao del Norte provinces.

IOM's appeal focuses on helping internally displaced persons and
vulnerable families who have returned to their often devastated
towns and villages, and strengthening information mechanisms to
coordinate the work of aid agencies.

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Projects in the appeal include the construction of essential
water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities; the refurbishment
of critical health facilities; the provision of emergency shelter
and kits to help people to restart their livelihoods; and the
upgrading of basic community facilities.

"This funding will allow us to continue to fulfill our role as
the co-lead of the Camp Coordination and Camp Management Cluster
(of aid agencies) in Mindanao and to provide essential assistance
to vulnerable families who have returned home and are trying to
restart their lives and livelihoods,"  says IOM Philippines
Chief of Mission Ovais Sarmad.

"IOM is committed to working in close coordination with the
government and our partner agencies to ensure that aid reaches the
people who need it most in the most efficient way possible, without
gaps or duplication," he adds.

IOM's programme to help vulnerable, conflict-affected families
in Mindanao, which is already funded by the European Commission
Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO), the UN Central Emergency Fund
(CERF) and the Spanish Agency for International Development
(AECID), was launched in 2008 following the displacement of some
750,000 people due to intensified clashes between the Philippine
military and elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front
(MILF).

Working with the Philippine Department of Social Welfare and
Development, IOM mobilized teams to assess the needs of displaced
families, opening three offices in Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur and
Sultan Kudarat. It also constructed water and sanitation facilities
in some 50 evacuation centres in Cotabato and Maguindanao.

IOM subsequently distributed essential non-food relief items
over 50,000 families, shelter repair materials to nearly 26,000
families and hygiene kits to nearly 11,000 families. It also
constructed another 773 WASH facilities and 90 community centres,
as well as developing a humanitarian assistance tracking system to
optimize aid distribution.

For more information please contact:

Dave Bercasio

IOM Philippines

Tel: +63.908.865.4546

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