DSWD-Davao promotes child-friendly evac centers

EVACUATION centers must prioritize the well-being of children and ensure continuous monitoring to prevent any abuses on women and children, an official from the Department of Social Welfare and Development-Davao Region (DSWD-Davao) said.

During the Kapehan sa Dabaw session on Monday morning, March 4, 2024, at SM City Davao, lawyer Vanessa B. Goc-ong, the regional director of DSWD-Davao, highlighted the complexities of camp management, particularly for evacuees from the Masara landslide who are relocated to a tent city in Barangay Elizalde.

She underscored the importance of child-friendly spaces and constant monitoring to prevent abuse, especially for women and children.

“There should be camp managers overseeing these aspects,” she said.

The DSWD-Davao is providing psychosocial intervention to families and children affected by the disaster.

She said there is a need for therapeutic and educational activities for children in the evacuation centers, ensuring their temporary homes resemble a supportive environment similar to their schools and homes.

While acknowledging the demand for couples’ rooms in evacuation centers, Goc-ong clarified that in schools converted into evacuation centers, such setups are prohibited and should be established outside school grounds.

She noted that survivors of the Masara landslide are undergoing extensive psychosocial interventions from psychologists and psychiatrists.

Hospitals, including the Davao Regional Medical Center (DRMC), have extended their support to the DSWD in assisting the victim-survivors.

“Seeing nga katung lahi gyud ang ilang kaagi nga natabunan, nakita gyud nila ang katung act sa pagtabon and their families were casualties (Seeing that their ordeal was truly different, they witnessed the actual landslide, the unfolding of the disaster, and their families became casualties),” she said.

She pointed out that, despite the assistance from many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in counseling the evacuees, there is still a shortage of social workers available to provide support in the centers.

As of March 2, 2024, there are nine operational evacuation centers, accommodating approximately 811 families in Masara. The DSWD has already delivered food and non-food items, along with cash assistance totaling P4,837,335, to the affected families in the area.