Evacuees who have returned home and escaped from the ISIS siege in Marawi City will not have something to eat for the next few months and they will go hungry. They are mostly construction workers, household helpers, laborers and artisans working with Muslim families. They will not be able to go back to their work because of the on-going fighting and because the livelihoods of their employers are destroyed and will take time to recover.
Evacuees able to escape the ISIS siege in Marawi City will go hungry if not provided with provisions the next few months. They are mostly poor artisans, household helpers, construction workers and laborers working with their Muslim employers whose main livelihood is also gone. Vegetable gardening will provide them with food and income in the very short term and will prevent hunger and malnutrition.
Vegetable gardening is easy and will provide food and income in as short as 3 weeks after planting. Aside from food and income, gardening will provide work and leisure for the evacuees and will assuage the trauma of war. Helping others in common garden activities will also provide camaraderie and psycho-social benefit for our partners.
Survival of very poor families fleeing the siege in Marawi City will prepare them to settle healthy and well when the situation will normalize.
