In its continued effort to further assist the displaced residents of Marawi City, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will be constructing a healing center inside the city wherein continued psychosocial healing and recovery programs will be implemented for the benefit of families affected by the recently-ended armed conflict, with particular focus on families who belong to the  more vulnerable sectors.

The center, which will be called the ‘Marawi DSWD Healing Center,’ will serve as an immediate-term resource daycare center for Marawi residents, especially the women, children, and the elderly, who have been experiencing trauma and stress due to the armed conflict.

Once constructed, the center will be the venue of various activities, including congregational or group psychosocial sessions, play therapy for children, individual counseling, and other related sessions that will aid in the healing and recovery of the affected families.

“The construction of the DSWD Marawi Healing Center is part of the continued commitment of the DSWD to assist the internally displaced persons (IDPs) of Marawi City not only by providing them with food and livelihood opportunities, but also  by seeing to their psychosocial well-being,” DSWD Officer-in-Charge Emmanuel A. Leyco said.

“The healing center will be devoted to the continued healing and recovery of our Maranao brothers and sisters as they get back on their feet and take the step towards the road to recovery. Having a center specifically intended for their use will give them their privacy and  better guarantee their rights to  freedom of expression,” OIC Leyco added.

According to the welfare executive, the DSWD will consider the culture and traditions of the Maranaos both in the construction of the center and in the conduct of the activities in the facility.

“When conducting activities, we will ensure that the highly valued and deeply revered traditions of the Islamic Culture are upheld and observed. This is both for the design and utilitarian purposes of the entire edifice and the separate, distinct rooms,” he added.

The construction of the center has a budget of P46.1 million lodged in the government’s General Appropriations Act of 2018. The DSWD Protective Services Bureau, Field Office in Region X, and the Local Government of Marawi City will work together in the management and coordination of the operations in the center.

The DSWD, through its Field Offices X and XII, continues to assist Marawi IDPs, providing them food packs and non-food items and livelihood assistance, and protecting their welfare in evacuation centers and temporary shelters. ###