There was a palpable excitement in the air as the residents of Barangay Milaya gathered around their newly refurbished multi-purpose learning center on the morning of 20th August 2022.
As Maja Baeña, their community representative, cut the ribbon to symbolize the facility’s opening, they thought about the many activities they had already planned. In a few weeks, they will use it as venue for a festival to showcase their harvest of corn, rice, cassava, and sugarcane. Livelihood trainings and learning sessions have also been planned for youth and adults alike.
Maja during the handover of the facility together with UNHCR Philippines, Community and Family Services International, and representatives from the local government unit. © UNHCR/Mohammad Tajallih Basman
Since it was first built in 2018, the facility has served multiple purposes, but it is only now that it finally has sturdier and newly painted walls, a new door, durable roofing materials, a communal latrine, and equipment that’s useful for different activities. Thanks to the continuous support of UNHCR donors, the Barangay Milaya Multipurpose Learning Center is now a fully functional facility that can serve as the community’s sanctuary for many years to come.
Through the years, Barangay Milaya in Wao, Lanao del Sur, has become a safe haven not just for its residents but also for vulnerable communities displaced by conflict and calamity. When the Marawi conflict in 2017 forced thousands to leave their homes behind and find safety elsewhere, Barangay Milaya was one of the communities that welcomed them. The community has also hosted families from nearby mountain barangays when they are displaced during landslides.
The generosity shown by the people Barangay Milaya shines through despite the challenges that they also face. Located approximately 17 kilometers from the town proper, the community has a high poverty incidence, and due to its remoteness, they have limited access to basic and protective services.
Maja recalls that for the longest time, their barangay did not have a proper facility for them to gather and conduct meetings and trainings. “Malaking tulong ito sa mga activities namin dito sa community. Mas makakagawa na kami ng mga events namin na hindi pinoproblema kung saan gaganapin,” she said. A returning Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) who volunteered to be one of the community’s leaders, Maja has helped connect her barangay to long-lasting solutions.
In 2018, the multipurpose learning center first came to fruition as a quick impact project implemented by UNHCR and partners together with the community. It was initially built as a venue for addressing issues and concerns, as well as for holding trainings and social gatherings. Back then, the walls were only made of bamboo, but it quickly became a sanctuary for many.
Every time Barangy Milaya hosts people forced to flee from neighboring barangays, the facility served as temporary shelter as well as a kitchen where they can prepare meals for their internally displaced neighbors. When the COVID-19 pandemic greatly impacted their community, the structure was also converted into an isolation facility.
The newly improved fully concrete facility benefits more than 2,000 residents of Barangay Milaya, as well as the displaced families that they host during times of emergency. It inspires the residents, including the youth, to organize more activities for the betterment of their community. Their next goal is to come up with an income-generating project to maintain the facility and sustain their initiatives.
As a learning hub and gathering place for children, youth, and adults – the facility will also serve as the venue of multiple activities that can help foster community empowerment and resilience.
With your support, UNHCR has implemented more than 230 quick impact projects (QIPs) across Mindanao. QIPs are low cost high impact projects that promote community empowerment, foster peaceful co-existence, and strengthen resilience for thousands of internally displaced people in Mindanao.
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