by SGarangan
Aslimah M. Dimaampao, 29, is 8 months pregnant and is expecting twins on July. She and her husband, Jamil have 5 children and being displaced, she has been wrought with worry on what the coming days will be for them.
Since they fled from the siege in Marawi City, they have been staying with relatives and neighbors in the Maahad Iligan Al-Islamie, a madrasah or Arabic school in Brgy. Tubod, Iligan City. It had been days since but the memory of a reality that she wished was just a nightmare remained etched on her mind.
She remembered the loud hissing and booming sound of the first bomb that was dropped in their village in Marinaut, Marawi City. She saw how their house was among those which was hit and destroyed. Without a safe place to hide, they hid in their neighbor’s basement.
When the bombs kept on dropping, they prayed that it would soon be over. Their children were crying and though also scared, Aslimah and Jamil tried to soothe their fears. For five days they waited for the escape that they thought wouldn’t have come.
When they thought it was safe to come out, they joined the throng of people from their village and walked towards the capitol grounds where they were accommodated and fed. After a two-hour respite, they walked the five-kilometer distance to Saguiaran.
Heavily-pregnant and with children in tow, the trek was most difficult for Aslimah. So when they reached Saguiaran, they decided to hire a tricycle to take them to Iligan City. They were not able to rest until they reached their relatives and neighbors in the madrasah.
Despite being away from harm, their burden of what happened to them began to sink in when their children showed signs of trauma.
“Konting ingay lang, nanginginig na sila sa takot (They shook with fear when they hear even just a bit of noise)”, she said.
The sound of an electric fan seemed like a helicopter hovering and the children would cry and as a mother, Aslimah could only do so much for her children. But when a play session was facilitated by the psycho-social support team of Ranaw Disaster Response and Rehabilitation Assistance Center-MiHANDs among the displaced children, she was surprised to see her children smile and laugh as they draw, sing and play. She felt relieved watching their tension ease even for a bit.
As for herself, Aslimah feared that her body wasn’t coping well with their situation. Her muscles are in pain. The heat also makes her breathing difficult. Sometimes, her heart palpitates for no apparent reason. Her husband, Jamil’s body is also in pain because of the cramped sleeping area that the family had to share with others.
The situation was difficult to bear especially when the days towards her baby’s birth are shortening. They don’t have the money to sustain their food, let alone to buy clothes, diapers, feeding bottles and other infant needs.
When an RDRRAC-MiHands volunteer gave her and her husband an infant kit complete with baby diapers, towels, mittens, feeding bottles, soaps, shampoos and others, she was somehow relieved knowing that the least of her worries has been taken care of.
“Masaya talaga ako kasi wala kaming pera pambili pag nanganak na ako. Malaking tulong ito sa amin (I’m really happy because we don’t have the money to buy these when I give birth. This is quite a big help)”, she said.
However, she and her husband still worry about the day she gives birth because they could not afford the services of a doctor and the medicines that will be prescribed later. Worse, when she gave birth, the babies will endure the same situation as their family in the evacuation center where diseases are already spreading because of lack of water supply, sanitation and hygiene.#
Ranaw Disaster Response and Rehabilitation Assistance Center 