WE WASH AS 1 Supporting communities (host and IDP’s) impacted by compounding effects of protracted conflict and natural disasters through targeted WASH interventions The Mindanao island group (Mindanao), with a population of 24 million, has long had the highest poverty rates in the Philippines despite its natural resources and a promising agricultural sector. Mindanao is prone to natural disasters resulting in displacement – as is the rest of the country. Displacement in Mindanao is also caused by clashes between the military and armed groups that reject or are no longer involved in peace talks with the Government. Besides conflict, displacement, and poverty, a shadow criminal economy, clan politics, and intercommunal tensions also disrupt the livelihoods and economic potential of Mindanao, requiring a nexus approach to response. Overall, there are 155,000 displaced people in Mindanao, 43,000 of whom were displaced in 2021 alone.

Mindanao has a four-century-long history of Moro resistance against forces from outside the island, with conflict between the Philippine Government and armed groups lasting since the late 1960s. The communist New People’s Army is active across the country, including in Mindanao. The Islamic State has had influence in Mindanao since 2014. The siege of Marawi city in 2017, in Lanao Del Sur province, was a five-month battle between pro-Islamic State fighters and the Philippine military. The conflict displaced 400,000 people to nearby towns and left houses and infrastructure destroyed or damaged. Although reconstruction is taking place, approximately 87,000 IDPs are still unable to return after four years because of the destruction.

The establishment of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in March 2019 has been a major step towards conflict resolution between the Philippine Government and several autonomy-seeking groups, particularly the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). BARMM is the poorest region in the country. Armed conflict and violence are still common in BARMM’s poorest provinces of Lanao Del Sur, Maguindanao, and Sulu, where clashes between the military and armed groups such as the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and the Islamic State-linked Abu Sayyaf Group occur frequently.

Access to safe, reliable, and sanitary hygiene facilities leads to a heathy and decent life. Toileting is a basic activity and a part of everyone’s daily living. It is a routine physical activity for all of us who have free access in our homes, but this is not the same for forcibly displaced families in Mindanao whose access to water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities may be hampered by their situation. As they face an emergency on top of another emergency due to the pandemic, their needs for hygiene and security are even greater.

In fragile and conflict-affected areas, access to safe water is often compromised; infrastructure is damaged or goes into decline, pipelines are in disrepair, and water collection is dangerous. Without access to safe water, children fall ill, schools and hospitals do not function, disease and malnutrition spread. The overal goal of the project: strengthening community resilience and disaster risk through improved access to WASH services in conflict affected areas in Mindanao, Philippines. The ICRC, together with the Philippine Red Cross, works with people affected by conflict to improve their water supply, sanitation and hygiene. This is realised through the following activities:

- Families displaced by conflict have access to adequate safe water supply, sanitation, and hygiene promotion practices: PRC delivers hygiene promotion for the rural projects using the Participatory, Hygiene and Sanitation Transformation (PHAST); and families construct rural projects with technical support from ICRC through cash-for-work.

- Urban community affected by conflict have improved access to sustainable supply of safe drinking water through supporting the operation and maintenance of these facilities: transitional shelters in the suburbs of Marawi City housing the displaced from Marawi siege improved its water supply; and ICRC support the operation and maintenance of the Marawi City Water Department through the provision of water disinfectant, fuel, tools and fittings.

- PRC chapters with water, sanitation and hygiene emergency response units have trained volunteers and functioning equipment to enable an effective response to emergencies requiring safe water supply, sanitation and hygiene promotion: PRC Chapters increased its emergency response preparedness through training and equipment maintenance and support of consumables to its WASH hubs Communities within Central Mindanao Philippines, Central Mindanao (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, North Cotabato)