Why?
This project builds community resilience through focusing on maternal, new-borns, and child health, contributing towards the Millennium Development Goals of reducing child morality and improving maternal health. Project aims include enabling health stations to provide quality maternal, new-borns, and child health services, preventing maternal, new-born, and child deaths and illnesses from disasters, increasing Philippine Red Cross’ management capacity in community-based programmes, and developing partnerships with local health infrastructures. The Philippine province of Eastern Samar has one of the highest incidences of poverty in the country, which has grown over the years. Almost half of the Agusan del Sur province is isolated due to limited road access and mountainous terrain, and in these areas there are no health services to serve communities, further decreasing already limited access to the basic emergency obstetric facilities care only available in six of the province’s municipalities. The project is implemented in the Eastern Samar and Agusan del Sur provinces in the Philippines.
What?
The project strategy gives maternal, new-born, and child health priority in a holistic approach that effectively contributes to community resilience. As such, Community Based Health and First Aid (CBHFA) is the primary means of delivering community-level support because this approach relies of community volunteers to lead health activities and spread knowledge throughout their communities. This work will compliment the joint Philippines and Netherlands Red Cross Partners for Resilience Programme in Agusan del Sur by identifying health risks and undergoing the necessary actions to anticipate, adapt, and respond to these risks. The project will also rehabilitate and equip health units.
Who?
The project aims to support 27,000 people, of which 4,000 are children under five