Responding to a request from a Muslim youth group, Japan has allotted $81,853 for about 15,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the towns of Datu Piang and Datu Saudi Ampatuan in Maguindanao province, the Japanese embassy said. The grant, as requested by the Muslim Youth Religious Organisation Inc., will provide 3,000 mats, 6,000 blankets, 3,000 mosquito nets, 3,000 water containers, and 1,500 plastic sheets for tents to improve the present condition of the IDPs in these two towns. The embassy said more than 60,000 people (or about 11,500 families) from these two towns were forced to leave their homes and livelihood to escape the continued fighting. And until the situation becomes more stable, these people are expected to stay in evacuation centres, such as schools, mosques, warehouses, and makeshift tents. However, their prolonged stay in the congested evacuation centres has exposed them to various health and sanitation problems, especially among the children and elderly. Japanese Ambassador Makoto Katsura said this project would form part of Japan’s continuing commitment to support peace and development initiatives for Mindanao since the launching of the Japan-Bangsamoro Initiatives for Reconstruction and Development (J-BIRD) in December 2006.
JAPANESE AID FOR DISPLACED PERSONS
Responding to a request from a Muslim youth group, Japan has allotted $81,853 for about 15,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the towns of Datu Piang and Datu Saudi Ampatuan in Maguindanao province, the Japanese embassy said.
