Philippines - IOM's contribution to recovery in the typhoon-hit Philippines island of Mindanao is continuing apace with 31 typhoon-resistant recovery shelters handed over to affected families.

The recovery shelters, built by IOM employing disaster risk reduction techniques to make them more resilient to high winds and rain, were erected where the beneficiaries' homes previously stood.

"These houses are a perfect example of all the strands of IOM's emergency and rehabilitation work in Mindanao coming together," said Marco Boasso, IOM Philippines Chief of Mission. "The lumber used for construction came from coconut trees felled by the typhoon and processed by the displaced families themselves with the help of local chainsaw operators supported by IOM's "Debris to Shelter" programme."

"For roofing, nipa, or palm, shingles also produced by women living in evacuation centres were used. Families can later replace these with corrugated iron sheets. For wall materials we have used woven bamboo mats and other indigenous materials," he added.

Two handover ceremonies were held in the towns of New Bataan and Compostela, each attended by Marco Boasso and IOM Chief of Staff, Ovais Sarmad. The local executives of these two municipalities, in the province hardest-hit by Typhoon Bopha, also attended.

IOM has received some USD4.375 million of the USD5.73 million it appealed for in the wake of the December typhoon.

IOM hopes that the target of 700 recovery shelters will soon be reached, along with the construction of 110 bunkhouses to provide a total of 1,000 family shelters. A further 10,000 family emergency kits (plastic sheets, kitchen utensils, bed kits, tool kits and jerry cans) have already been distributed, along with 3,100 emergency shelter kits (plastic sheeting and tools.)

IOM is active in several other sectors apart from shelter. Five medical teams have distributed supplies worth US$ 85,000 to remote affected areas, where IOM has also refurbished health posts. The teams have also assisted in psycho-social counselling sessions and community-based mental health and psychosocial support training.

IOM's camp management support staff are monitoring spontaneous settlements along roadsides, and working in registered camps to ensure all families get basic services. Meanwhile awareness-building on illegal recruitment and trafficking in persons has been built into training for government-employed camp managers.

Finally, IOM is using crowd-mapping to share information among the affected communities, humanitarian partners and donors. It's builds on the Department of Social Welfare and Development's own feedback system, using hotlines, texts, calls, Facebook and Twitter to communicate back and forth with beneficiaries.

For more information, please contact:

Conrado Navidad
IOM Philippines
Tel +632 2301767
Email: cnavidad@iom.int