COVID-19 Archives - Page 3 of 4

Requested by INCREASE local partner, CorDis-RDS, an informational material in Filipino language was created to outline specific steps that families can do when a member is infected with the virus.

Click the image below to enlarge and download this material.

INCREASE or “Philippines – Increasing Resilience to Natural Hazards” aims to aims to increase the resilience of 45,00 women and men small scale farmers and fishers, including 720 extremely poor female-headed households, to natural hazards and the effect of climate change. The project will run from 2019-2021 in different parts of the Philippines, namely 36 barangays across 8 municipalities in the provinces of Cagayan, Mt. Province, Northern Samar, and Surigao del Sur. Its project components and activities include early warning systems, alternative livelihood, and climate and disaster governance.

This community-level minimum health standards design was created to be printed in strategic locations to help disseminate preventive measures for COVID-19.

View and download a copy of this material here.

From PUIs to PUMs, the Philippines has shifted to a new classification of COVID-19 patients. To make sure that communities are informed of these changes and to help them to better understand COVID-19-related news and information, this infographic was created.

Click to the image below to enlarge and save a soft copy of this material.

The global pandemic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected millions worldwide. Presently in the Philippines, there are more than 250,000 cases, with more than 58,000 active cases, and 4,000 dead. The government responded to the crisis using public health measures including travel restrictions, strict community quarantine protocols, work suspension, and promotion of proper hygiene and a strong immune system.

Metro Manila is the center of COVID-19 crisis in the Philippines. At least 54% of the total number of cases in the country is found in Metro Manila. The protracted quarantine measures resulted in severe consequences for urban poor communities. This includes economic displacement particularly for daily wage earners and workers in the informal sector, limited access to basic services, and issues with safety and security. Restrictions were also met with difficulties as urban settlements are often densely packed, overcrowded, and often lacking basic facilities, thereby increasing the risk to spread infection.

The COVID-19 Philippines Inter-Agency Rapid GenderAssessment (RGA), of which the NCR RGA is a part, was conducted to document stories of women, men, and other vulnerable sectors from urban poor communities in Metro Manila. It is a collaborative study aimed at identifying the different needs, risks, capacities, and coping strategies of women, men, girls, and boys in the COVID-19 crisis. The research design was developed by GBV Sub-cluster member agencies UNFPA, Plan, CARE, and Oxfam.

The NCR Rapid Gender Analysis was conducted from 15 April- 27 May 2020 in six cities in Metro Manila. A total of 145 participants from multiple sectors form part of the study. Semi-structured phone interviews were used as the primary data collection method to ensure the safety of both partner organizations and participants.

The NCR RGA is structured to surface stories according to eight (8) key areas of inquiry: 1) Gender Roles and Responsibilities, 2) Access to Basic Services, 3) Impact of Interventions, 4) Access to Information and Technology, 5) Coping Strategies and Capacities, 6) Addressing Social Stigma, 7) Protection and SRHR Issues, and 8) Leadership and Participation. The NCR RGA is an inter-agency initiative coordinated by CARE, with participating INGOs Oxfam Pilipinas, Plan International, Asmae; local organizations ACCORD Inc., ChildHope, Kanlungan sa Er-ma Ministry Inc.; and individual volunteers from DFAT.

View and download the full Rapid Gender Analysis Report here.

Story by CARE Philippines

Rose (24 years old) is a resident of Sapa, Barangay Panghulo, Malabon City. Her household is composed of eight individuals which include her five children, her mother, father, aunt who is a senior citizen. Her family’s main source of income is distributing and selling Sampaguita flower garlands.

Most members of her community lost their employment. Rose revealed that since most men in the community work at construction sites, all of them lost their jobs during the lockdown enforced by the government to control the pandemic. Women while primarily responsible for caring for the children, also sold Sampaguita garlands on the side to augment household incomes. Due to the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) or lockdown, they were unable to sell the garlands and had no sustainable source of income.

“Bawal kasi talaga lumabas. Halimbawa, nakita ka ng barangay sa labas, huhulihin ka kaagad lalo na pag wala kang mask” (Rose, female, 24 years old, Malabon City)

“We were not allowed to go out at all. If the barangay officials see you outside of your house, they would arrest you immediately especially if you do not have a face mask.”(Rose, female, 24 years old, Malabon City)

Rose also mentioned that the quarantine protocols in their barangay are extremely strict. For each household, throughout the ECQ, only one person is allowed to go out and do errands. They did not have curfew hours since residents were not allowed to go out if they do not have a quarantine pass. If apprehended, curfew violators are taken to the barangay office. Rose also mentioned that those who guard and enforce quarantine protocols in their community are all men.

When asked whether they had access to face masks during the ECQ, Rose shared that they could not afford a box of face masks. It was too expensive, so they used cloths and handkerchiefs as an alternative for protective gear. She also mentioned that practicing social distancing was difficult and almost impossible for them since their house is small and all of them were forced to stay inside.

Rose shared that they received food aid four times during the lockdown. However, this was insufficient to meet the foods needs of the whole household. Most of the time they were eating only twice or once a day in order to make food supply last longer. As for the cash aid, she mentioned that there were a lot of households in the community that did not receive cash assistance even though they lost their jobs and applied for the government’s Social Amelioration Program (SAP).

“Kulang po talaga ang binibigay ng barangay. Minsan sabi ko sa anak ko pag humihingi ng pagkain, inom na lang siya tubig para ma-survive ang gutom.” (Mary (Rose’s mother), female, 49 years-old, Malabon City)

“The food aid given by the barangay is insufficient. Sometimes when my children ask for food, I just tell them to drink lots of water so that they can endure their hunger and survive.” (Mary (rose’s mother) female, 49 years-old, Malabon City)

Since the implementation of General Community Quarantine (GCQ), Rose and her family were able to go back to selling and distributing Sampaguita garlands. However, it would take them 8 to 9 hours of walking every day since there is no public transportation. They also mentioned that as of now there is little profit from selling since the pandemic has caused the closure of many business establishments.

You may also read this story on the CARE Philippines website by clicking here.

COVID-19 remains to be an unfamiliar threat that currently has the world in distress. Despite the fact that the Philippines has amassed extensive experience and knowledge on reducing risks and building resilience amidst natural disasters, conflict, changing climate, and degraded ecosystems, communities and local authorities are still not adept in dealing with the risks of the nature and scale of the COVID-19 pandemic which include not only health and economic impacts, but social and environmental impacts as well.

In the Philippines, the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded amidst multiple humanitarian emergencies — compounding negative impacts and exacerbating pre-existing vulnerabilities of crisis-affected individuals particularly those from marginalized sectors. We know that emergencies and responses are not gender-neutral and that different groups of women, men, boys, and girls experience crises differently. The Rapid Gender Assessment (RGA) elevates these gendered experiences, needs, capacities, and coping strategies, to (1) shape and influence the response plans and operational guidelines of LGUs, CSOs, and other humanitarian actors responding to COVID19; and (2) strengthen existing interventions to ensure they are gender-responsive.

This inter-agency RGA surfaces the voices of 145 individuals from the most marginalized communities — urban poor, barangay health workers, persons with disabilities, solo/young parents, the homeless, senior citizens, LGBTQI — in six cities of Metro Manila. It was conducted within the first three months of enhanced quarantines when NCR was the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, through phone interviews and online surveys organized by CARE, ACCORD, Plan, Oxfam, ASMAE, ChildHope, and Kanlungan sa Er-ma Ministry, Inc. It is part of a larger national Gender and Inclusion Assessment (GIA) that engaged 27 I/NGOs and 950 respondents across 11 target constituencies in six regions.

Read, view, and download the complete PDF version of the presentation deck here.

Routinely cleaning and disinfecting our homes has become much more of a necessity nowadays as it helps keep ourselves and our families safe and healthy even when we spend most of our time at home.

Did you know that cleaning and disinfecting are two different things? What steps should be taken to make sure our homes stay clean even when we come from outside?

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Learn more about CARE Philippines and its initiatives for COVID-19 through:

CARE Facebook Page

CARE Philippines Website

In the Philippines, a disaster can strike almost anytime. With a higher risk brought by pandemic, go bags or survival kits come in handy. While the usual inclusions of a go-bag should be prepared, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) materials and gender-inclusive items should also be considered to make sure no one gets left behind when a disaster hits your community.

Check out these social media cards produced during this year’s National Disaster Resilience Month which had the theme “Sama-samang Pagsulong Tungo sa Katatagan sa Gitna ng Bagong Normal“:

Increasing the Resilience to Natural Hazards (INCREASE) aims to increase the resilience of 45,000 women and men small-scale farmers and fishers, including 720 extremely poor female-headed households, to natural hazards and the effects of climate change. It is implemented by CARE with support from the Skala Initiative and Phineo, in partnership with ACCORD Incorporated, Cordillera Disaster Response and Development Services, Leyte Center for Development, Inc. , and Agri-Aqua Development Coalition (AADC).

To extend the RILHUB’s reach, we launched the Resilience and Knowledge Exchange Series (RKES) last June 2020 – monthly webinars where stakeholders and key decision-makers can share experiences, best practices, lessons learned, ideas, and innovations.

In this session entitled “Planning for Typhoons During a Pandemic: A Practical Guide”, we held discussions on gaps and challenges of existing Contingency Plans for Typhoons in light of the current pandemic as well as replicable typhoon response practices. We also formulated a practical guide that aims to help communities update their current contingency plans.

A contingency planning checklist was developed from the inputs of more than 600 registrants. The document below was the one used during a special session of the RILHUB Resilience Knowledge Exchange Series for National Disaster Resilience Month. A more detailed and comprehensive checklist will also be uploaded after completion to include additional inputs from attendees and partners.

View and download the full contingency planning checklist here.

Story by ACCORD, Inc.

The coronavirus pandemic is affecting not just the health but also the livelihoods of people the world over. In Cotabato City, many from urban poor communities have been unable to work because of strict quarantine measures imposed across the Philippines midway through March 2020.

To help partner communities tap alternative sources of livelihood during the COVID-19 crisis, the Moving Urban Poor Communities Toward Resilience Project (MOVE UP) organized a mobile palengke (market) in five barangays of Cotabato City on June 13, 2020. This was also one way to make affordable, fresh, healthy food accessible to locals as they observe stay-at-home rules.

MOVE UP worked with the local government and two community savings groups (CSG), which are livelihood groups formed as part of the project’s strategies to enhance urban resilience by improving financial literacy and making livelihoods more resilient. Members of the participating CSGs – who, before the pandemic, made a living by selling food products, tailoring, or working as housekeepers – sold fish, chicken, fruits, vegetables, and spices at the mobile palengke.

Pre-activity consultations and planning

Throughout the whole process, the CSG members were actively involved in decision-making, and there was always proper coordination with the local government.

The MOVE UP team, partners from local government, and members of community savings groups in Barangay Rosary Heights 3, one of five barangays covered by the activity.

The first step was to conduct consultations with the relevant stakeholders. The team met with the barangay and city local government through the members of the project’s Technical Working Group on Resilient Livelihood, and members of the CSGs. The next phase involved figuring out which commodities to sell, making the necessary logistics arrangements, looking for cost-efficient suppliers, and computing for potential revenue, among other planning-related tasks.

To promote the activity, city and barangay local governments worked together to help spread the word.

Market day

The group went to all five barangays – Poblacion 3 and 9, and Rosary Heights 3, 4, and 5 – in one day. They had planned to spend two hours in each site, including the loading and unloading of items from the rented trucks. Staff members made announcements on-site in the local language using a megaphone. Physical distancing was observed, and the team used masks and disposable gloves.

A community savings group member explores fish vending as an alternative livelihood during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Challenges and lessons

During the post-activity evaluations, several challenges were discussed. Planning and coordination was made more difficult by the quarantine because face-to-face meetings were discouraged, if not prohibited. Making sure the perishable goods stayed fresh – on the day itself and a few days after, in case there were leftovers – was also challenging. There were difficulties during procurement because stock availability was limited, another effect of the lockdown on supply chains. There was also a sharp price drop, particularly for fish, from the day of procurement to the day after the activity. Lastly, five barangays, with one to two market sites per barangay, may have been too many to cover in one day, as the loading and unloading process in each site was laborious and time-consuming.

Members of participating community savings groups were involved throughout the process, from planning to implementation.

Some CGS members also expressed hesitance to join future sessions. For one, sales projections made during this run of the mobile palengke may not be applicable to subsequent runs, as buyers begin to have more choices available due to the loosening up of movement restrictions. Some are also less inclined to do it again because they incurred some losses due to the price fluctuation.

But despite these concerns and the challenges they faced, the team has decided to try again and adjust based on the lessons they learned from the previous activity.

Vegetables are repacked the day before the activity.

Focusing on people rather than just profit

The mobile palengke gave partner communities a chance to explore an alternative livelihood, and also brought food closer to communities whose access to markets has been difficult. It also allowed the MOVE UP team to see how else they could help improve the livelihoods of CSGs.

It was a good reminder that exploring alternative livelihoods entails taking risks – as all livelihood pursuits have associated risks – and learning from the challenges.

Most importantly, it was a reminder that making livelihoods more resilient is more than a quest for profitability. The systems that make livelihoods more likely to be profitable, sustainable, and humane must also be improved. This requires allowing communities to fully participate in the process (thereby improving their social positions) and working hand-in-hand with local governments (as a result, helping create a more enabling environment). The gains from these efforts may not be as tangible and immediate as turning a profit, but they pave the way for the longer-term, systemic changes needed to help empower urban poor communities.

To bolster urban resilience, then, we must place people, rather than just profit, at the center of livelihood efforts.