Photo exhibit: A crisis almost forgotten

This is a press release from Action Against Hunger | ACF International.

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — The effects of the siege involving government security forces and armed men in this southern city in September 2013 left an unforgettable mark for the internally displaced people in Zamboanga. Nearly two years since the conflict ended, the survival of internally displaced people (IDPs) remains affected by crisis situation. 

Captured in pictures, these images provide a vivid view of the effects of conflict—on how the IDPs are assisted and their current condition.

“The photo collection illustrates touching images of daily life of the displaced families who have endured the impact of siege, and depicts their present condition. Many of them still sense that their future remains uncertain nearly two year since the siege,” ACF International country director for the Philippines Javad Amoozegar said.

ACF’s assessments showed that the prolonged stay of the internally displaced people in conditions where access to basic services and facilities are limited have exposed young children to various risk factors such as diarrhea, acute respiratory infection and dengue that cause undernutrition.

ACF and partners continuously help thousands of people who have stayed in evacuation sites  and currently living in transitional sites to improve their nutritional status through access to clean water and sanitation and food, nutrition, psychosocial support and livelihoods. 

“ACF is working in close collaboration with stakeholders towards attaining durable solutions for the situation in Zamboanga. We are helping save lives, alleviating suffering and restoring dignity of the displaced families now staying at different transitory sites,” said Amoozegar.

“But needs are still high, and we need to raise awareness of the human suffering and resilience in Zamboanga, and commit to global actions to save more lives and search for solutions to the greater challenges of today and the next generation. This World Humanitarian Day, it is important that we acknowledge our united efforts in responding to humanitarian crisis, in order to protect the most vulnerable, particularly children under five suffering from malnutrition, which can be deadly if it is not treated quickly,” Amoozegar added.

ACF’s humanitarian efforts in Zamboanga are made possible through generous funds from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid (ECHO), and Department of Foreign Affairs Trade and Development (DFATD), in collaboration with the people of Zamboanga.

The photo exhibition will feature the work of Veejay Villafranca, a world-renowned Filipino documentary photographer who travelled to Zamboanga with Action Against Hunger Philippines. The photo collection will also be exhibited in different universities and other public spaces across the Philippines. – Rappler.com