The journey towards 12th EAO Don Bosco Alumni Congress in Japan started

By FIS Social Com

Marawi, the Philippines, 13 July 2017 -- The Salesian Lay Volunteer Organization (SALVO)-FIS led by Fr. Arvin Abatayo SDB, organized a relief drive for the families affected by the crisis in Marawi City. The Rondalla youth group of the Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes (ASOLL), some SALVO members and volunteers assisted in packing the relief goods which consisted of:

• 59 sacks of Food Packs (good for 472 families)
• 29 sacks of Used Clothing (good for 290 individuals)
• 8 boxes of Hygiene Kits (good for 210 individuals)

The relief items were distributed on July 13, 2017 to the evacuees under the pastoral care and ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Our Lady of Miraculous Medal Parish in Barangay Lumbia, Cagayan de Oro City through the assistance of the Social Action Center of the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro headed by Fr. Saturnino Lumba. Fr. Doroteo Rabuyo Jr., the parish priest and his staff actively work together with Hon. Wilhelm Valencia, the barangay chairman and other LGU members during relief distributions. The Salesians of Don Bosco (SDBs) were the first to provide relief intervention in the area.

This humanitarian aid was made possible through the benevolence and collaborative efforts extended by various Don Bosco houses, organizations and lay partners namely: Don Bosco Provincialate, Don Bosco VisMin Employees Multipurpose Cooperative, St. Louis School-Don Bosco-Dumaguete, Archdiocesan Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes-Cebu, Don Bosco Pasil-Cebu, Don Bosco Technical Institute-Victorias, and other generous individuals. The organizing team is also grateful to the families of Rafraf T. Escaño and Jerome A. Escaño who helped in the logistics in Cagayan de Oro City.

According to a lay coordinator of the Social Action of the Archdiocese of Cebu, there are approximately 4,000 displaced families, with an average of five (5) members per family, registered by the Cagayan de Oro City Social Welfare and Development (CSWD) Office. The families have been staying temporarily with their relatives with no work and having limited resources.

Another volunteer from the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro disclosed that most of the victims, if not all, especially the children, youth and women, have been suffering from trauma. Other than providing them with basic needs, the evacuees need psycho-social intervention to help them cope with their experiences and prevent the onset of post-traumatic stress.

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