Seventy-one families of Barangay Lourdes in Buhi, Camarines Sur whose houses were totally destroyed by past calamities were the beneficiaries of permanent shelters formally handed-over to them during ceremonies held last Friday, August 15.

       Three other families were also extended assistance to set up sari-sari stores, another to establish a Bigasan ng Bayan outlet, and two more were given a work carabao each to help them in their farming activities.

       The families are beneficiaries under the continuing Bicol Core Permanent Shelter and Community Revitalization program of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Provincial Government of Camarines Sur, and participating local government units (LGUs).

       The shelter program principally sponsored by the IOM is among various foreign assistances secured by Governor LRay Villafuerte to complement a large-scale housing program in the province under the comprehensive provincial development blueprint.

       The Lourdes homes brings to a total of 194 such permanent, typhoon-proof and earthquake-resistant houses constructed in the province that are now providing decent homes to over 1,000 Camarines Sur constituents. Total houses constructed regionwide now number 410.

       This is aside from close to 500 temporary, single-detached temporary shelters immediately provided by IOM for families affected by the super typhoons of 2007, when the town of Buhi was among the hardest hit and an estimated 100,000 houses were damaged province-wide.

       The livelihood assistance is a component of the Save the Children program of USAID aimed at providing economic opportunities for the underprivileged.

       The USAID-IOM assistance programs go beyond just shelter and livelihood aid, but extends up to social development and community building by including collaboration with local government units for organizing self-help groups and homeowner associations while in transit shelters, site project management, leveraging project services and other humanitarian interventions.

       On hand during the hand-over ceremonies were Vice Governor Salvio Fortuno, Buhi Mayor Rey Lacoste, David Helmey and Brian Weninger of the IOM Bicol operations office, Aaron Smith of USAID, Nilda Vilches and Nancy Obias of the Save the Children Program, Peace Corps volunteers Richard Moore and Laura Smail and other officials of local government units. (GBClaveria w/reports from AETuy)