World Bank, CFSI ink grant deal for livelihood support for ex-MILF combatants

The World Bank on Friday said it signed a grant agreement with Community and Family Services International (CFSI) to support sustainable livelihoods and participation in resilient and inclusive communities of former Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) combatants and their families.

In a statement, the World Bank said the grant agreement will provide economic support to approximately 39,200 people in six rural communities.

The multilateral lender added that the grant-supported $4-million Bangsamoro Camps Transformation Project is a community-driven project being financed under the Bangsamoro Normalization Trust Fund.

The fund oversees assistance from development partners for the decommissioning of MILF combatants in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and is administered by the World Bank.

The project, the bank said, supports the Philippines’ agenda to increase the availability of services in conflict-affected areas.

"The approval of the first project to be financed under this trust fund is an important milestone in bringing critical services to the camp communities within the Normalization process," said World Bank Country Director for Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand, Ndiamé Diop.

"The long-term goal is to contribute to the income stabilization and food security of households in these communities through improved basic infrastructure, enhanced livelihood diversification, and climate-smart agriculture," said Diop.

The World Bank said the project will focus on increasing incomes from agriculture, the main economic activity for these communities, including through capacity building and skill development for cooperatives and women’s groups. 

It will also support household incomes through infrastructure improvements such as solar dryers, rice mills, drainage canals, and agricultural inputs, it said.

The lender added that the project will further seek to strengthen community inclusion through the construction of community facilities.

The lender said communities will help make decisions on infrastructure priorities, and targeted cooperatives will make decisions on their chosen areas of focus and support.

The project also specifies strategies for inclusion for women, youth, and indigenous peoples.

As the lead partner to CFSI, the Bangsamoro Development Agency —the development arm of the MILF—will head the implementation of project activities at the community level. 

Established in 2021, the Bangsamoro Normalization Trust Fund is funded by the governments of Australia, Canada, the European Union, and the United Kingdom, according to the World Bank.

Its steering committee, co-chaired by the MILF and the Philippine government’s Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU), approved the project design on June 6, 2023, the lender said. — VBL, GMA Integrated News