Four months after Typhoon Yolanda devastated the Visayas region,   the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) continues to receive financial and in-kind donations from different countries intended for the survivors.

On Tuesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) turned over to DSWD the amount of US$ 1 million from the Government of Pakistan as contribution to the relief efforts for the victims of ‘Yolanda’, during a simple ceremony  at the DFA office in Pasay City.

DFA also turned over the US$300 donation of Madame Dian Haseng, spouse of the Indonesian Ambassador in Nigeria which was coursed through the Philippine Embassy in Abuja, Nigeria. The donor requested that the amount be used for the rebuilding of mosques in Muslim communities in the areas affected by ‘Yolanda’.

On the other hand,  DSWD-Field Office VII Director Mercedita Jabagat received 800 metric tons of rice from the People’s Republic of China, coursed through the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Likewise, DSWD-Field Office VIII received  one unit of vehicle (Ford Everest) under loan agreement from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to be used solely in the monitoring of child protection programs in ‘Yolanda’- affected areas in Eastern Visayas.

The vehicle was received by DSWD-Field Office VIII Director Nestor B. Ramos (right) from UNICEF Child Protection Specialist Galit Wolfenshon.

DSWD and UNICEF are partners in the project called Family Tracing and Reunification (FTR), a system which identifies, traces, and documents cases of orphaned children in ‘Yolanda’-hit areas in the region.

FTR enables the sharing of accurate information on children who were orphaned or separated from their parents/relatives so they can be registered for child care services.

Dir. Ramos said that the vehicle will be useful since they are assisting the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officers (MSWDOs) in the case management of some 132 children included in the FTR database, as well as 375 children in need of special protection.

“Since most of our vehicles were also damaged by ‘Yolanda’, we need this to facilitate mobility of our social workers who monitor the situation of children needing special protection,” Dir. Ramos said. ###