Global Affairs Canada has approved approximately CA $1.9M (US $1.4M) funding for a nine-month ADRA COVID-19 response in the province of Camarines Sur, in the targeted EMBRACE project municipalities of Calabanga, Garchitorena, Presentacion, and San Jose in the Philippines. The activities will include equipping quarantine facilities, providing testing kits and personal protective equipment (PPE), capacity building, livelihood support, awareness-raising, and psychosocial support. This project is scheduled to begin in July 2020 and end in March 2021.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the Philippines, where the entire country has been under community quarantine for nearly four months. As of July 15, 2020, over 58,850 cases have been confirmed and 1,614 deaths have been recorded by the Department of Health. The health and economic impact of this pandemic on the country is unprecedented and the impact is expected to be felt for years to come.

In February 2016, ADRA began implementing the Enhance Mother/newBorn/child health in Remote Areas through healthcare and Community Engagement” (EMBRACE) Project in partnership with Global Affairs Canada. This project aimed to improve the health and nutrition of mothers and children in targeted communities.

“We are grateful for the support of Global Affairs Canada in implementing the EMBRACE project and providing this opportunity for further engagement,” remarked Tom Pignon, the ADRA Philippines country director. “Their mission for improving reproductive health and services in the Philippines led to the success of the original project and we are delighted to extend this partnership in addressing this pandemic; particularly its effects on the most vulnerable.”

ADRA’s planned response will prevent COVID-19 from reversing the gains made for the EMBRACE project participants by decreasing the local transmission and the disproportionate gender effects of COVID-19 on women and girls. These activities are planned to complement the government’s efforts to prevent and contain the spread of infection and are expected to reach 37,000 direct project beneficiaries.

The project activities include:

· Equipping government-managed quarantine, isolation, and treatment facilities with handwashing facilities, PPE, disinfectants, isolation tents, beds, electric fans, and other equipment.

· Providing testing kits for existing COVID-19 diagnostic centers.

· Conducting capacity building specific to COVID-19 response for frontline workers, health staff, and local partners on clinical management and contact tracing, as well as sexual and gender-based violence awareness and appropriate response and referral systems.

· Providing PPE, psychosocial support, and hygiene kits to Department of Health-designated COVID-19 hospitals in the area.

· Providing psychosocial support, hygiene, and dignity kits to community members.

· Identifying and referring those at risk for gender-based violence to appropriate services.

· Providing livelihood support to the most vulnerable community members through the provision of sewing machines, PPE raw materials, and seaweed farming kits to households living in coastal and island barangays. (The PPE produced will be offered for sale to consumer markets such as public and private hospitals.)

· Providing seeds for kitchen vegetable gardening, as well as small-scale upland rice and corn farming

· Conducting awareness-raising activities featuring key messages on COVID-19, health, nutrition, sexual reproductive and human rights, and gender issues through radio programming, the provision of Information, Education and Communication materials, online platform, and SMS blasts.

ADRA is set to launch the COVID-19 Response Project later this month.