Displaced Marawi households to get sewing machines from Philippine Red Cross

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) has promised to give away sewing machines to households that have been displaced by the 2017 Marawi City siege.

PRC Chairman and Senator Richard Gordon made the promise on Monday during a field visit to this war ravaged city.

“The Red Cross is not just about deploying medical tents and providing relief. We are not a handout society,” Gordon said in a statement released Tuesday.

“The Red Cross is an organization that enables. This is why it is important that we help people restore their livelihood sources,” the PRC chair added.

Meanwhile, International Committee of the  Red Cross (ICRC) President Peter Maurer, who is currently in the country for an official mission, said the organization will continue to help people affected by conflict.

“Just like Chairman Gordon, I believe in the importance of empowering people and helping people help themselves. This is a philosophy that we both strongly adhere to,” Maurer said.

“We will continue to do so until the parents can go back to work and the children can go back to school,” Maurer promised.

The joint early recovery operations conducted by the PRC and ICRC provided livelihood and shelter repair assistance for a total of 6,014 families from the most affected areas, including over 2,000 returnees who used the P10,000 cash grant to start small businesses.  (Editor: Mike U. Frialde)