THE United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in collaboration with the city government continue interventions for families affected by the 2013 Zamboanga siege in line with its protection cluster strategy.

Non-food items (NFI) to include plastic tarpaulins, sleeping mats, fleece blankets and kitchen sets and solar lamps with mobile phone chargers are among the interventions provided to families with special needs currently housed in the five transitory sites as well as those at the Tulungatung Resettlement site and home-based evacuees.

The selection of the beneficiaries are undertaken in coordination with the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) under Socorro Rojas and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR)-regional office.

Rojas said that persons with special needs are those pregnant and lactating mothers, single parent-headed households with family support, the elderly, persons with serious disabilities, separated and unaccompanied children and persons with injuries or in need of special attention, who have not received any distribution or who have not been registered by the government for assistance.

Rojas said the UNHCR distributes solar lanterns with mobile phone chargers to families “to help prevent gender-based violence and keep families more secure as electricity and communication lines have been destroyed or not available”.

She said the NFIs are distributed also as protection assistance. (Bong Garcia/SunStar Philippines)