Getting urban communities up and running again
Due to the economic downturn from the pandemic, poverty and unemployment rates continue to rise. With no jobs and incomes to provide for their needs, families, both in urban and rural communities, are forced to rely on government subsidies and relief packages.
One organization has stepped up, seizing the opportunity to make an impact. The Samahan ng Nagkakaisang Pamilya ng Pantawid (SNPP), with the support from the Peace and Equity Foundation (PEF), offered relief support to households in different urban communities in Metro Manila and nearby provinces in April 2021. SNPP or the Association of the United 4Ps Families is a people’s organization composed of parents and parent-leaders of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino program.
Augmenting the poor’s food supply
Through a grant of P250,000 from PEF, SNPP distributed relief packs consisting of rice, vegetables, coffee, and biscuits to at least 800 affected households in 12 Metro Manila cities and seven provinces as far as Mindoro.
“The requested assistance will be used to augment food requirements of indigent and displaced from work SNPP members,” PEF Senior Area Officer Wilma Guinto said.
According to Analiza Natalio, vice president of SNPP, they have chosen the most affected sectors as beneficiaries for the project.
“Naglatag po kami ng criteria kung saan kasama ang mga pinaka-naapektuhan ng pandemya tulad ng mga nawalan ng trabaho, tatlong beses lang isang linggo ang pasok, mga senior citizens, solo parents, PWDs, at iba pang nasa informal sectors na trabaho,” she said.
Replicating ‘Project Karinderya’
In partnership with the civil society coalition called “COVID Warriors”, which includes PEF, Jollibee Foundation, Philippine Business for Social Progress and other donors, SNPP replicated “Project Karinderya” that gives free meals to communities through food stalls, which in turn, provides owners with additional income. They call it Super Karinderya.
Last year, the CSO coalition partnered with the Kabuhayan sa Ganap na Kasarinlan Credit and Savings Cooperative to roll out Project Karinderya in areas such as San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan; Dasmarinas, Cavite; and Rodriguez, Rizal which ensured food to 1,600 families or around 8,000 individuals.
Another initiative by the CSO coalition to help the SNPP members is Puhunang Pamayanan, a community-based livelihood where an initial grant of P50,000 was handed over per community as a revolving fund to support livelihoods weakened by the pandemic.
“Tinitingnan din namin sa ngayon na maturuan ang ating mga beneficiaries ng financial resiliency, how to handle small businesses para maging sustainable po ang kanila income,” Natalio said.