Families who have been displaced due to the war between local terrorist groups and government forces in Marawi City continue to struggle due to lack of food and other necessities. The absence of a stable income and capital for small businesses has forced many, who were traders before the start of the conflict, to rely on farming and fishing.

To help 1,007 displaced families in Butig, Lumbayanague, Lumbatan, Masiu and Poona-Bayabao municipalities earn a livelihood, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) distributed multipurpose cash grants amounting to $150 or P8,000 per family from June 20 to June 22.

“Many displaced families gained access to farmlands and basic tools with the help of relatives. But insufficient funds to buy farm supplies forced them to take loans at a higher interest rate,” Dragana Rankovic, who heads the ICRC team on relief and livelihood assistance, said

Grants amounting to P8 million were distributed in three days, aiming to help the most vulnerable displaced families. These included people with no or low income, those in the evacuation centers, those with multiple dependents, especially young children, pregnant women, the elderly and the sick.

One of the recipients, Noronsalam Nasser, a mother of six from Datu Sa Dansalan village in the most affected area in Marawi City, said: “When we fled to Lumbatan, we took up fishing to provide for our families but the income was barely enough to sustain us. With the cash grant, I will set up a small business selling shoes and slippers. This cash assistance will also allow us to send our children to school.”

Ever since clashes broke out in May 2017, the ICRC, along with the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), has helped hundreds of thousands of people affected by the Marawi crisis. The focus has shifted to the remaining displaced families in Marawi and Lanao del Sur by improving their access to health care and clean water, along with livelihood recovery.

The ICRC, a neutral, impartial and independent humanitarian organization that assists and protects victims of armed conflicts, also financially supported the PRC’s livelihood assistance for at least 1,500 conflict-affected families within Marawi City.

Meanwhile, the United States government has pledged an additional P296.2 million worth of assistance for women and families affected by the siege.

“The additional assistance will promote the role and inclusion of women in the recovery and rehabilitation of Marawi as well as support ongoing humanitarian assistance work in and around the city,” the US Embassy said in a statement released last Saturday.

The embassy said P136.1 million will be allotted for the “needs of displaced persons, particularly women and girls” while the P160.1 million will be allocated to restore livelihoods through training and recovery grants and to provide water and sanitation for more than 10,000 displaced households inside and around the city.

Marawi City is the largest city in Lanao del Sur in the Mindanao region.

According to the PRC, 96 barangays have been affected by the clashes.

President Rodrigo Duterte subsequently declared martial law on the whole island of Mindanao to contain the conflict.

More than 29,000 individuals have been forced to leave their homes and settle temporarily in evacuation centers.