Amidst the sound of exploding bombs and gun fire, Bai Puti Iskak and her family ran for their lives on a pitch black night of May 2009 in Kateman, a rural community in Western Mindanao.

"The early mortar shelling began to hit and destroy community facilities and houses," says Bai Puti, prompting her family and neighbors to flee their homes.

"We only managed to bring our clothes, leaving our working animals and other important things behind. Some neighbors were lucky to bring poultry and livestock with them," Bai Puti recalls. "Along the way, a pregnant woman gave birth."

Among more than five hundred families, Bai Puti's family walked for an hour in search of temporary sanctuary.

Leaving behind all of her family's savings and investments — important belongings, house, farm and farm animals — Bai Puti, together with her husband and eleven children, arrived at the Bagan Elementary School Evacuation Center. 

To resemble a home, Bai Puti, her family and neighbors built temporary houses made of nipa and lumber provided through the partnership of IOM and the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO). IOM gave the displaced families cooking equipment, hygiene and medical kits, blankets, and other non-food items.

According to Jasper Llanderal, IOM Mindanao Programme Coordinator, the frequent and unpredictable displacements have prompted local governments to prepare dedicated spaces in public schools, municipal halls, and other government facilities to serve as evacuation centers. When tensions arise, displaced families are instructed to flee to the nearest centers.

IOM also installed bathrooms and hand pumps in evacuation centers like the Bagan Elementary School Evacuation Center to accommodate evacuees' health and hygienic needs. Children can also play and relax while learning in child-friendly spaces thanks to Community Family Services International and the United Nations Children's Fund.

"Life in the evacuation center is not easy," Bai Puti admits. But she and the Kateman community set their worries aside, realizing that there is hope if they all worked together in rebuilding their lives.

Bai Puti focuses on helping out with the activities in the evacuation center, coordinating with IOM and other humanitarian agencies that assist fellow internally displaced persons (IDPs). "She encourages IDPs to do alternative livelihood activities while in the evacuation center, and to make use of IOM's livelihood support of seeds and tools. She initiated backyard gardening," an IOM field staff attests.

Bai Puti is thankful for the help she and her family received.  It made life at the centre bearable. IOM's self-sustenance activities for IDPs "make us feel uplifted and empowered for not always having to depend on external support," says Bai Puti.

For her hard work, the displaced community chose Bai Puti to lead in organizing the activities in the evacuation center. "Since I became a camp coordinator," she says, "I have been privileged to help affected families."

Together with the elders, she mediates disputes, supports those who need counseling, and relays information about the IDPs to humanitarian organizations offering help. "When some families had nothing to eat," a neighbor of hers remembers, "Bai Puti personally bought a sack of rice and distributed it among them."

Today, many families have been able to return to their homes.  Some families still remain in evacuation centers around Maguindanao and Cotabato, provinces in Mindanao, because their homelands are still not cleared of local disputes.

Security remains unstable and more displacement can occur anytime. But people who help their own distressed community as they experience the same hardships are remarkable. Bai Puti is an inspiration to many, especially to the women in her community.

Bai Puti Iskak continues to reside in the evacuation center, helping displaced families. She has recently welcomed a healthy grandson.

IOM's Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) and Protection Support to Vulnerable Families in Conflict Affected Areas in Central Mindanao Programme attends to the immediate needs of vulnerable families affected by Central Mindanao's complex conflict situation.

IOM also supports the sustainable return of IDPs by repairing basic facilities in communities with high return and monitoring the progress of families who have returned home. In addition, IOM provides blankets, cooking tools, water containers, and other basic non-food items.

Due to the unstable security in Maguindanao, IOM assists communities prone to displacement by coming up with ways that can help them prepare better in case tensions arise. The preparations include identifying exit strategies, establishing camp committees on sites for relocation or return, and raising awareness on protection issues.