A Maguindanaon mother’s plea for peace

MAGUINDANAO -- For
many years now, peace has been elusive to thousands of residents of Maguindanao
province. The recurrent armed conflict between government troops and insurgent groups
in the area has been affecting the lives of countless families, including
children.In
the Municipality of Datu Salibo,
evacuees from the remote Barangay Tee have sought refuge along the
highway of the nearby Barangay Butilen, the former being one of the most
affected villages. But what were supposedly temporary shelters for the evacuees
eventually became a constant evacuation site for the residents of Barangay Tee
since most of their properties were destroyed by the frequent fighting.

Aida, 25, a mother of three boys and a resident of
Barangay Tee, has been living in the evacuation area since 2008 when she was
pregnant with her first child. Every time the fighting subsided, Aida and her
family used to go back to their houses in Barangay Tee until the day the rebels
burned their house down leaving them no other choice but to stay in the
evacuation area for good. Residents and local officials of the war-torn village
have left their properties behind after almost every public structure was
destroyed, including schools and government offices.

Aida lives with her three kids and her husband,
Abdul, in a small shack made of light materials. As with the other evacuees,
their temporary shelter was built near the main highway of Datu Salibo town and
situated near a river. The frequent flooding in the evacuation site brought
about by the overflowing of the river after heavy rains affects their
livelihood and presents risks their health and safety.

Aida admits that the location of their temporary
shelter is too risky especially for the health of her children who are only 8,
5, and 3 years old, respectively. However, the bigger security threat posed by
the frequent armed conflict in her village is too much to ignore. sand//scontent-arn2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t34.0-0/p280x280/27718322_10213730512410788_153674950_n.jpg?_nc_ad=z-mandamp_nc_cid=0andampoh=18f858e2fbd326e46421afc28e9b270eandampoe=5A7BE236 Aida
sun dries fish caught by her husband from the nearby river. Frequent flooding
in the evacuation area has prompted her to sell dried fish as an alternative
source of income for her family .

To
help protect children living in and around the evacuation area, Save the
Children, a leading child-oriented Non-Government Organization (NGO), has
implemented a project that is directed towards protecting children in areas
affected by armed conflict. The European Union-funded project called, Spaces for Peaceand Strengthening the
Protection of Children in the Province of Maguindanao, Philippines , aims
to promote the protection of children by conducting awareness raising
activities in schools and in the communities and providing support to
community-based groups who take the lead in addressing child protection issues,
among others. Save the Children believes that with the help of its partners,
cases of child abuse, neglect, exploitation, and violence may be prevented.

Aida is one of the
many adult participants of Save the Children’s Adult Learning Sessions , a series of seminars that seeks to provide
community members with valuable knowledge and insights on child-related issues,
including child rights, child protection, and positive discipline.
Incidentally, she is also a former beneficiary of a previous project from the
same organization funded by the European Commission.

I am happy that I am
once again involved with Save the Children’s project because this time, I will
be able to learn how I can protect my children and other children from harm,
Aida said. sand//scontent-arn2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t34.0-0/p280x280/27720951_10213730513650819_226519876_n.jpg?_nc_ad=z-mandamp_nc_cid=0andampoh=8f83aa5eaea6a221bad2e8cc9aa210e7andampoe=5A7C22C8 Flood
water covers the main highway of Datu Salibo Municipality in Maguinadanao.
Situated near the Liguasan Marsh, the townsfolk, including the evacuees hosted
by the community, suffer the effects of flooding most of the year. The project also
provides Learning Sessions for
children where participants from different target schools are given workshops
on child protection, child rights, and child participation, thereby providing
them with opportunities to discuss and learn about child-related issues along
with their peers.

In order to support
the needs of the children in the affected communities, Save the Children helps
strengthen the capacity of local government agencies tasked to lead in
protecting children and has also supported the formation of core groups
composed of parents, local heads, and religious leaders. The core groups are
expected to function as champions on child protection, promoting community
awareness and lobbying for local government support.

Meanwhile, despite
having moved out of their original residence, Aida still fears for her family’s
safety every now and then, especially whenever she hears the sound of gunfire
from a distance. But with the help she gets from NGOs, she remains hopeful that
one day her family can live normally.

We would like to ask
for help from the government so that we can have peace in our place and that we
can have our old life back, she said.

Now on its second
year, Save the Children continues to implement its 3-year project on child
protection among four municipalities in Maguindanaoand Datu Salibo, Shariff
Saydona Mustapha, Mamasapano, and Radjah Buayan.