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Marawi City, January 18, 2023 – The Bangsamoro Government, the European Union in the Philippines and UNICEF today launched “Building Community Resilience and Delivering Essential Services for Post-Conflict Recovery in Lanao del Sur/Marawi” to strengthen community resilience, increase coverage of essential services, and promote child-friendly family and community behaviors in 44 municipalities in Lanao del Sur and Lanao provinces. del Norte and Bukidnon.
The action’s budget of more than 4 million euros or 245 million pesos will fund health, education, child protection and disaster risk reduction programs targeting 680,000 children, 200,000 parents and 120,000 internally displaced persons affected by the Marawi conflict. Project outcomes include maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health services, nutrition, and water and sanitation; early childhood education and basic education services; child protection/social welfare systems; and child-friendly district and municipal planning and investment for child rights and disaster risk reduction.
“Our journey towards development and peace lives in every Bangsamoro youth who brings our dreams to the future. The continued support of our partners allows us to shape a Bangsamoro that nurtures the health and well-being of every child,” Prime Minister Ehud Ibrahim explained.
“Sustainable development, peace and security will not be achieved until the rights of every child are fulfilled, respected and protected. Children have the right to be children, to play, to learn and to spend time with family and friends. Protecting the next generation from the effects of armed conflict is our responsibility,” added UNICEF Representative in the Philippines Oyonsikhan Dindvinorov. collective.
This project we are launching today supports the capacity of BARMM’s regional and local authorities to plan and deliver services, from health and sanitation to education and social protection. It will contribute to the realization of the basic human rights of the population benefiting from this project, primarily children. The European Union is proud to have the opportunity to help fund this effort and to partner with the Bangsamoro authorities and UNICEF, as part of our long-standing commitment to the welfare of children and, of course, to peace and development in the Parme region,” stated EU Ambassador Luc Ferron.
The three-year project “Building Community Resilience and Delivering Essential Services for Post-Conflict Recovery in Lanao del Sur/Marawi” will involve collaboration between key agencies of the Bangsamoro government including the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Ministry of Social Services and Development. (MSSD), Ministry of Basic, Higher, and Technical Education (MBHTE), Ministry of Interior and Local Government (MILG), Provincial Governors, and Partners in Development and Humanitarian Affairs. Special focus will be placed on vulnerable groups including pregnant and lactating women, children with disabilities, indigenous children, out-of-school youth, adolescents at risk of recruitment into armed groups, internally displaced persons and girls.
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Lanao del Sur remains one of the poorest provinces in the Philippines, with the largest number of internally displaced persons due to both human and natural causes. More than 80 percent of children live in poverty and their rights to health, education and protection are not taken into account. Conflict, internal displacement, limited development opportunities, and the COVID-19 pandemic have contributed to this situation. An entire generation of BARMM children may see their ability to thrive with an adult disability, impacting the region’s sustainable development and lasting peace.
additional background
Decades of conflict and lack of investment in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has resulted in poor development outcomes for its population of 4.37, including children. Within BARMM, Lanao del Sur province is home to an estimated 1.19 million people (PSA 2021) and is the poorest province in the Philippines with 64% of them living in poverty. It continues to be affected by the armed conflict and is the governorate with the largest number of displaced people, with around 120,000 people still displaced from the armed conflict in Marawi City in 2017, and now living within host communities and temporary settlement areas. Three years after the end of armed conflict in Marawi, Lanao del Sur province has yet to fully recover. Many families have exhausted their assets and coping mechanisms.
The situation for children in Lanao del Sur is among the worst in the country. The Analysis of the Situation of Children in the Metropolitan Region of Armenia (BARMM) conducted by UNICEF in 2017 highlighted that more than 80% of children live in poverty and many of them are deprived of their rights to health, education and protection. Poor access to schools due to geographic distance and cost has led to low enrollment rates and a high number of children who drop out, especially boys. Likewise, poor access to health services has led to lower vaccination coverage and higher rates of malnutrition. Weak protection systems, combined with an acute shortage of social workers, leave most children unprotected, without support or referral services, and at risk of association with armed groups – especially for the county’s more than 100,000 out-of-school adolescents.
Media communication
Curator Andrew Allonto
Director
Parm Public Information Office
Tel: +63 917 522 1983
Email: andrew.alonto@bangsamoro.gov.ph
Ali Rahman Bangendman
Public relations officer
Bangsamoro Information Office
Email: al.pangandaman@bangsamoro.gov
Selma Jane Alonto Tamano
Information Office – Lanao Del Sur
Tel: + 63917 1545496
Email: salma_jayne@yahoo.com
Thelma Gicolia
Public affairs officer
Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines
Phone: +639209662066
Email: Thelma.GECOLEA@eeas.europa.eu
Nico Weiland
Chief of Communications
UNICEF Philippines
Tel: + 63917867 8366
Email: nmwieland@unicef.org
fringe france
Communication Officer
UNICEF Philippines
Tel: + 63917858 9447
Email: mfrancia@unicef.org
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