In the small village of Makir, nestled within the town of Datu Odin Sinsuat in Maguindanao Del Norte, 23-year-old Bai Tata Hakim faces daily challenges that most people cannot imagine. Her life, like that of many families in the region, has been shaped by conflict, poverty, and displacement, all of which have had a devastating impact on her family—especially her children.
Bai Tata’s two-year-old daughter, Nasharad, is the most affected by the hardships her family endures. At just two years and four months old, Nasharad is significantly smaller than her younger brother, who is only nine months old. “It’s hard to believe that she is smaller than her younger brother,” Bai Tata shares, speaking in her local language.
Her husband works as a tricycle (payong-payong) driver, but his earnings are barely enough to cover their basic needs. Adding to their struggle, the frequent armed clashes in their town have made it impossible for him to work consistently, forcing the family to seek temporary shelter with relatives or at evacuation centers.
“Her growth was hampered due to our situation. The frequent displacement, going in and out of the evacuation center, has devastated our living conditions and health,” Bai Tata explains. The family’s experience reflects the wider issue faced by communities in Maguindanao, where conflict and natural disasters, like perennial flooding, exacerbate poverty and food insecurity.
Since 2022, Datu Odin Sinsuat has been plagued by unrest, largely fueled by clan feuds (rido), political rivalries, and land conflicts. These tensions, coupled with recurring disasters, have left families like Bai Tata’s struggling to survive. Children and women, in particular, bear the brunt of these crises, as they are deprived of essential services like healthcare, family planning, clean water, and livelihood opportunities.
According to the Mindanao Organization for Social and Economic Progress (MOSEP), such deprivation has led to alarming rates of malnutrition and illness. The National Nutrition Council (NNC) reports that 5.5% of children under five in the Philippines suffer from wasting (low weight-for-height), while 26.6% experience stunting, and 15.5% are Vitamin A deficient. In Maguindanao Del Sur, nearly 4,000 children are considered malnourished.
Faced with this reality, Bai Tata’s family, like many others, has been reliant on government “ayuda” (support). However, this assistance is often insufficient to sustain them, leading to a cycle of dependency and poverty. Despite these challenges, hope has emerged in the form of the Women-Friendly Space (WFS) in Datu Odin Sinsuat.
Supported by the Resilient Livelihoods Development (RLD) project for Women and Youth IDPs in Maguindanao, which is funded by the Australian government and backed by the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), UN agencies like the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the WFS offers families like Bai Tata’s access to critical support. Through its Positive Deviance/Hearth (PDH) program, the WFS helps address malnutrition in children under five by utilizing community-based solutions.
For 12 days, mothers and caregivers, including Bai Tata, were trained to prepare nutritious meals using locally available and low-cost ingredients. Nasharad, along with other malnourished children, was enrolled in the program and later discharged after showing signs of recovery.
“I learned a lot here, and my daughter recovered after she underwent the program,” Bai Tata says with relief. “Now, I am able to cook nutritious food from ingredients I find around the house, and we can also use vegetables grown in our backyard.”
But Bai Tata’s journey doesn’t end there. With new skills gained through the WFS, she has found a way to help support her family by selling cooked food, banana cue, and pastil (rice stuffed with chicken flakes), augmenting her husband’s income.
In the face of conflict, displacement, and poverty, Bai Tata Hakim stands as a symbol of resilience. Her determination to improve her family’s well-being, coupled with the support of community-driven programs like the PDH, offers a glimmer of hope for a brighter future for her children—and many others like them.
View original: https://philippines.unfpa.org/en/news/women-friendly-spaces-barmm-aid-mothers-addressing-malnutrition-amid-conflict
