The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office 7—Central Visayas has continued to provide psychosocial support to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) affected by the recent eruption of Mt. Kanlaon in Negros Oriental.

Camp personnel of different evacuation centers or camps conduct psychosocial activities, including film shows, arts and crafts, and storytelling sessions.

These psychosocial activities are held at the child-friendly and women-friendly spaces in the evacuation centers to alleviate the stress and anxiety of the IDPs, especially the children, while they are temporarily staying in the evacuation center and to promote social connection with other IDPs.

Aside from the children, different psychosocial activities also helped the parents adapt to their current situation.

These include the regular Zumba dance sessions with the camp personnel, morning devotional prayers and recreational activities, singing contests, and basketball and volleyball games, inside the evacuation centers.

Various groups and institutions also visit the camps to provide their programs and services, like the One Negros Ecumenical Council (ONE-C), which recently conducted a stress debriefing and medical mission to the IDPs.

The ONE-C, composed of various churches and religious denominations, also organized an ecumenical worship service to address the emotional and spiritual care of the IDPs.

Now, eight (8) evacuation centers across Canlaon City provide temporary shelter to displaced families. These facilities include Camp 1 at Macario Española Memorial School, Camp 2 at Jose B. Cardenas Memorial High School – Uptown Campus, Camp 3 at Jose B. Cardenas Memorial High School – Main Campus, Camp 5 at Panubigan Elementary School, Camp 6 at Binalbagan Elementary School, Camp 8 at St. Joseph College of Canlaon City, Inc., Camp 9 at Linothangan Elementary School, and Camp 10 at Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

On January 9, 2025, the LGU decamped or closed two (2) evacuation camps – Camp 4 at Canlaon City Sports and Cultural Center and Camp 7 at Bayog Elementary School.

Camp personnel from the Local Government Unit of Canlaon, Provincial Government of Negros Oriental, and DSWD Field Office 7 work hand in hand in managing these camps, ensuring the safe distribution of essential aid to IDPs and managing their daily activities like cooking their meals, cleaning their respective rooms, conducting psychosocial activities, and simulation exercise for Oplan Exodus in preparation for the possible escalation of the alert status of Mt. Kanlaon to Level 4. ###

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