Zamboanga City – While Joaquin Enriquez Memorial Complex (Grandstand) has been in the news for all the wrong reasons — thousand displaced people from the recent standoff, foul smell emanating from camp site caused by sanitation problems; still, there is a community activity that the IDPs are proud of.

The women IDPs have come together to conduct a community activity to generate artefacts out of newspaper, straw and other biodegradable materials. They make artworks, decorations and even household items such as doormats, fan, vase, flowers and curtains.

Fatra Omar, 36, one of the women IDPs in Zone D inside Grandstand was known to be the one who initiated this activity. She shared how she has acquired this skill. “Dati nung dalaga pa ako may taga DSWD po na pumunta samin tapos tinuruan po kame gumawa ng mga ganito, mga tsinelas, mga basket na gawa sa newspaper at mga plastic na napupulot lang.” (Before when I wasn’t yet married, there were DSWD workers who went to our barangay to teach us how to make things like these, like slippers, baskets that are made of newspapers.) Fatra was referring to the Practical Skills and Capability Building for Disadvantaged Women (PSCBDW), an old program implemented by the DSWD Regional Office but was eventually devolved to its local counterpart.

Fatra gathers her co-IDPs within their area for 3-4 days in a week to teach and train them how to reprocess used materials and turn them into new products creatively. “Gusto ko sila matuto din kasi pwede din nila ito pagkakitaan. Pwedeng ibenta. Gaya ng ginawa ko dati.” (I want them to learn because they can earn from this. They can sell these just like what I did before.) said Fatra, disclosing that she used to sell all her products when she didn’t yet have children to attend to.

Fatra rears 4 children. She happily shared and even shown us the picture of her son graduating in high school last March. Now that she’s so worried about having a bigger responsibility of sending her son to college, she sees this as an opportunity to earn money by herself and not merely rely on her husband’s income from doing carpentry. “Ngayon po plano ko na bumalik sa paggawa ng ganito kasi kailangan po sa pag-aaral ng anak ko.” (Now I’m planning to make recycled projects again because I really need it for me to be able to send my son to college.) Despite her worry, she is still thankful that her son was able to graduate amidst their situation.

Together with Fatra is Jenelyn Ismael, one of the camp leaders in Zone D. She also helps Fatra gather and encourage women in their camps to join their activity. “Ngayon 29 na po kame lahat. Mas madami na kesa nung nagsimula kame nung January.” (Currently, we are already 29 in the group. Bigger group than the time we started in January (2014)) she proudly states.

Fatra added that what she likes most about this activity is aside from learning, they also get to bring out the creativity in them and benefit from the things that they thought before are of no use.

Materials like the newspapers, used colored papers, scissors and glue are donated by their City Link of Pantawid and Camp Managers from DSWD, while straws, plastics and used clothing were picked up and collected by the IDPs themselves.

One of the participants added that the activity helped them become occupied in a way that they no longer dwell themselves on problems they are faced. “Mabuti na yung ganito na may ginagawa kami kaysa yung lagi naming isipin ang mga problema o di kaya mag-chismis at matulog lang buong araw.” (It’s better this way that we get to make ourselves busy than think about our problems, or gossiping and sleeping the whole day.)