In its relentless efforts to deliver services and relief to individuals and families affected by the onslaught of Typhoon Odette, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office Caraga led the establishment of transitional shelters and women and children-friendly spaces in areas severely affected by the typhoon.

On February 3, the Field Office, together with the Local Government Unit of Surigao City and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), conducted site planning and setting up of transitional shelters for families who have been displaced due to the typhoon.

At present, these families are staying at five evacuation centers in the said city. However, these evacuation centers will be used as a reproduction hub for school modules, thus these families need to transfer to the transitional shelters located at Barangay Cagniog, Surigao City.

DSWD staff provided the necessary requirements in setting up the transitional shelter following minimum humanitarian standards, highlighting the services and facilities to be installed on the site. IOM, headed by Mr. Conrad Natividad, will provide a shelter repair kit (SRK) worth Php 20,000 construction materials with Php 5,000 labor cost, solar lamps, while the city government will provide the services and facilities.

City Mayor Ernesto Matugas Jr. committed to pursuing this project and requested all offices under his leadership to provide the services and facilities mentioned. Camp Coordination and Camp Management Cluster Lead agency DSWD will continually impart technical assistance and monitoring to ensure the success of the project.

Aside from the establishment of transitional shelters, FO Caraga has also begun the installation of child-friendly and women-friendly spaces in Surigao City, Pilar, Surigao del Norte, and San Jose, Province of Dinagat Islands, recently.

These facilities, which also offer corresponding services, are just one of the many protection measures led by the Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Cluster of the DSWD to respond to the effects of vulnerability and displacement and of women and children during crisis situations such as disasters.

Under the Disaster Response Management Bureau, the Camp Coordination and Camp Management Cluster is the leading arm in ensuring that all requirements necessary in the management of evacuation centers during disasters are being met and the delivery of basic services is well-coordinated. Among the objectives of the CCCM Cluster are to ensure that facilities in the identified evacuation centers are functional and to seek opportunities for recovery, rehabilitation, and developmental tasks as post-response activities, in case of prolonged stay.###(Social Marketing Section/DSWD Field Office Caraga)