Habitat for Humanity Philippines Turns Over New Multipurpose Centers to Maguindanaons

At General Santos City earlier, the residents of 3 municipalities in Maguindanao received brand new multipurpose centers from Habitat for Humanity Philippines and the government of South Korea.

Towns of Raja Buayan, Upi and South Upi will benefit from these new community centers funded by the Korea International Cooperation Agency-Korean Exchange Bank (KOICA-KEB).

Charlie Ayco, CEO and Managing Director of Habitat for Humanity Philippines said on the presscon that they are thankful to KOICA-KEB for partnering with them in helping Maguindanaon families. He also mentioned that Habitat is committed to providing Filipinos a decent place to live, and this includes giving them facilities that would help spur community development.

By providing facilities in these areas, Habitat aims to empower local communities in conducting community-led development activities, private sector-led outreach and other development initiatives. The multi-purpose centers can also be used as meeting sites, training centers, classrooms and even as emergency evacuation unit. 

In the Philippines, the province of Maguindanao has one of the highest numbers of families living in poverty, with an incidence rate of 62%. The province also suffers from armed conflict between government and rebel forces.

Aside from building multipurpose centers, Habitat for Humanity Philippines will also be initiating capacity-building activities and training to help the communities become sustainable.

Multipurpose centers are regarded as a solid asset for a community especially those situated in rural areas.