This World Humanitarian Day, UNHCR Philippines honors the real-life heroes among our staff who have committed their lives to protecting people forced to flee and ensuring that vulnerable populations are not forgotten, nor left behind in the continuing fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Record numbers in global forced displacement […]
This World Humanitarian Day, UNHCR Philippines honors the real-life heroes among our staff who have committed their lives to protecting people forced to flee and ensuring that vulnerable populations are not forgotten, nor left behind in the continuing fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
Record numbers in global forced displacement and the challenges brought by COVID-19 are making it more difficult than ever for UNHCR’s humanitarian heroes to stay and deliver for the most vulnerable refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced, and stateless people around the world. Yet in the face of unprecedented challenges, these humanitarians show us how #RealLifeHeroes respond.
UNHCR Field Associate Jalanie Pangalian has been a humanitarian worker for a decade now. The last few months have been extra challenging because of the coronavirus pandemic, yet he continues to go where he is needed most and ensure that the most vulnerable families in Mindanao are protected and equipped to respond to this global health emergency. More than 340,000 people remain displaced in Mindanao, and they now face added health and protection risks because of COVID-19.
Many of the families that Jalanie interacts with have been displaced for more than three years now, and he knows that presence is a critical part of protection and humanitarian work. He starts every protection monitoring visit with a kumustahan – asking families how they are doing. Those forced to flee have been through so much, and Jalanie sees himself as “an instrument in filling the protection needs of these vulnerable people – vulnerable in a sense that they lost their home, their habitual residence, their safe haven, and properties which oftentimes affect their financial, social, physical and even emotional stability.”
The COVID-19 pandemic brings great risk to people working in the frontlines of emergency response, such as UNHCR Program Associate Vic Dela Cruz. “We position ourselves in many unsafe places, we travel in a certain environment, and our lives are always at stake. There are moments when I can say that my body actually wants to give up, but with the heart of a humanitarian aid worker, it would still continue to go on and I think that is similar for other humanitarian aid workers as well,” he says.
A nurse by profession and a humanitarian for more than nine years now, Vic has seen the plight of the most vulnerable firsthand, so despite the challenges of humanitarian work, he cannot see himself being in any other field. His passion to serve motivates him to seek greater challenges and create positive impact for those who need protection the most. When asked what makes the work fulfilling, he says, “Whenever I go to the field and see children, women, elderlies smile; it gives me goosebumps.” Vic doesn’t see his work as a job, rather, a reflection of his passion to make positive changes in the lives of others.
Internally displaced persons in Mindanao face various challenges in security, sanitation, livelihood, and privacy on top of health concerns brought by the #COVID19 pandemic. UNHCR Field Protection Associate Aisah Disoma knows this all too well, as she herself experienced being internally displaced due to the Marawi conflict in 2017.
The coronavirus adds complexity to staying and delivering for the forcibly displaced. She has to be extra careful not only for her own health but more importantly for the health and protection of the most vulnerable. “At this time of pandemic where completing the work is challenging and life-threatening, and we need to shift to different work modalities to continue serve our persons of concern, endurance and perseverance are a must.”
Despite this challenging landscape, Aisah knows she must stay resilient, and she gets inspiration from the forcibly displaced families who remain positive despite the challenges they go through. For Aisah, whether or not there is a pandemic, the work remains and her commitment is the same. “Working together, can alleviate the sufferings the IDPs are encountering or even eliminate them. UNHCR is committed to continue its protection activities for the internally displaced population, and I am committed to stay and deliver for these people.”
UNHCR Senior Protection Assistant Christine Salinas interacts with refugees and asylum seekers on a regular basis, at the same time advocating for them to have access to their rights by engaging partners and multiple stakeholders. When the pandemic hit, Christine helped advocate for the inclusion of the most vulnerable forcibly displaced persons, including refugees, asylum seekers, and those at risk of statelessness, in the government’s national COVID-19 monitoring, preparedness, and response activities.
At this time, everyone is struggling and facing constraints that were not there previously, but for Christine, perseverance is key. “The collective efforts of our team, our predecessors, and our Government and non-Government partners over the years contribute to make a stronger case for extending protection to the forcibly displaced. Even in the most trying situations, there will always be opportunities to extend a helping hand, and our task is to persevere and find it for the benefit of our persons of concern.”
Christine knows that policy and advocacy work can take time before coming into fruition, but she perseveres because she wants to ensure their voices are heard and their rights are safeguarded. “At the end of the day, all of the challenges and processes that we have to go through are worth it when we see that our hard work contributed to the improvement of lives of those we serve.”
Working with UNHCR as a Messenger / Log Clerk for almost a decade, Edgar Rebuta is no stranger to humanitarian work. The COVID-19 pandemic has added an extra layer of difficulty in terms of accessing transitory sites and gathering information. “But through the assistance of partners and government agencies, UNHCR can easily access and know what is happening on the ground, so we can pursue what they need,” Edgar said.
Edgar is also no stranger to the experience of being internally displaced, having experienced fleeing from conflict in North Cotabato before. He is more than motivated to help forcibly displaced families as he knows exactly what it feels to face the same difficulties they are going through. He feels fulfilled every time he sees and hears all the IDPs and refugees being thankful to the humanitarian actors. “I find joy when I let them know that they are not alone and seeing their smiles when they there is an immediate action to their needs, I feel contented”.
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