World Vision uses mobile technology to speed up cash-for-work program in Marawi

World Vision supports the clean-up and rehabilitation of war-torn communities in Marawi City through its cash for work program launched in the third week of January.

In consultation with the community people and in partnership with local partners and the local government, activities like community clean-up, road clearing, and community gardening are on-going in the five cleared barangays. In the village of Matampay, 49-year old Mohammad shares that they decided to clean a communal water facility where most families fetch water.

Several projects including house repair and business stall construction are also being done to help families rebuild what was destroyed by the conflict.

“We used to be vendors in the war zone. Now we have to start from scratch. Through the program, I’ll have my fruit stand constructed in front of my house,” shares 61-year old Puromala whose family took refuge in Iligan City during the crisis, which started last May 2017.

To help facilitate efficient aid distribution, World Vision is using the Last Mile Mobile Solutions (LMMS), a stand-alone system that facilitates beneficiary registration, verification, distribution planning and management, monitoring and reporting.

“With LMMS, beneficiaries are given bar-coded photo card which helps eliminate issues on verification and eventually, issues on inefficiency. This is not only beneficial for the families we’re working with but also for World Vision as it is now easier to generate reports that help inform our decisions,” explains World Vision’s Marawi crisis response manager, Adonis Casinillo.

Restoring economic activities and providing psychosocial support to adults

In the past weeks, some 1,000 men and women have started the community work. Each will receive P2500 (USD50) for working 4 hours each day for 10 days through a partner financial service provider.

“The program is not only necessary to restore community assets but also to meet the urgent needs of families whose livelihoods were lost during the conflict. Although temporary, cash for work is a multi-purpose solution to the different needs of the affected communities, most especially the children,” shares Casinillo.

The Kambalingan (homecoming), which started in October 2017 following the government’s liberation of the Marawi City, has brought home close to 20,000 families, to date, most of whom still rely on aid to get by.

“As much as we want to rebuild, we need something to start with. I’ll use the money I’ll get from cash for work to start a fruit stall,” shares Puromala.

Mohammad adds, “Through cash assistance, you are also helping us with our livelihoods because without money, people couldn’t buy from us. Without income, it’s hard for us to support our families, especially our children’s education.”

Also embedded in the cash-for-work program is peace education and psychosocial support for the families.

“Recognizing that most of the returnees are still battle-scarred, the first three days of this initiative was used to provide psychosocial support to them. Through our local partners, we have facilitated peace-building activities that enabled each member of the community to identify the dividing and connecting factors in their barangay,” shares Casinillo, noting how the activity has helped forge a better relationship among neighbours.

World Vision hopes to reach more families in the coming months and continues to appeal for support to the on-going response in Marawi City.

“We are one of the few organizations that is now implementing cash for work in Marawi and this is possible because of partners and donors who continue to support the recovery of our brothers and sisters. We will continue to work together to ensure that the children, who are at the heart of what World Vision does, will recover from this crisis,” says Jocelyn Mariscal, Associate Director for Operations in Mindanao.

World Vision, to date, has reached over 43,000 people affected by the conflict in Marawi through its multi-sectoral intervention.

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