Published July 8, 2021, 10:03 AM
Microsoft recently partnered with two global organizations, software provider AID:Tech and Save the Children Philippines, to help thousands of displaced Filipinos in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur Province, Philippines.
In 2017, Marawi City, located in the Philippines’ southernmost main island of Mindanao, was the site of a protracted armed engagement between the Philippine military and local militant organizations. This fighting displaced over 370,000 Filipinos.
Photo from Save The Children Philippines
“The effect of the fighting here four years ago is still felt today. Until now, efforts to track down and identify everyone affected are still ongoing,” said Edwin Horca, Head of Save the Children-Philippines-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). “One of the biggest challenges in delivering aid to the impacted people of Marawi is that many children and even their parents do not have birth certificates for identification, which in turn excludes them from social protection programs”.