The Czech Republic has provided alternative shelters and wash facilities to communities in Navotas, Malabon, Cebu City and Cagayan De Oro to strengthen the capacities of evacuation centers and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 across the Philippines.
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With financial aid from the Czech Humanitarian Aid program, the project focused on reinforcing the disaster preparedness capacities of high-risk urban poor communities and local government units (LGUs) by furnishing safe and sufficient shelter and WASH facilities for the current and potentially displaced populations in selected urban poor communities.
It was initially implemented by ACCORD Incorporated, a Philippine-based organization, in October 2019 and became timely this 2020.
“I trust that the intervention significantly improved evacuation center conditions and camp management services of local governments and augmented local government capacities in mitigating the spread of COVID-19,” Czech Ambassador to the Philippines Jana Šedivá said in a statement.
The Czech Embassy said the project was able to reach some 240,000 beneficiaries from almost 50,000 families by providing temporary shelters made of barrel vault tents and sets of temporary partition, latrines, bathing areas, and portable hand-washing stations in covered court evacuation camps for the four-targeted cities.
The units were deployed in actual emergencies and augmented the patient care capacity of city hospitals. Post-pandemic, these units may be used in evacuation centers during other emergencies and are designed for ease of use by everyone, including children and persons with disabilities.
The project also supported setting up community quarantine facilities in Malabon and demonstrated low-cost but effective quarantine facilities to other LGUs and national government agencies.
Singhy Obias, Executive Director of ACCORD Inc., said the LGU and community partners consider the project to be highly relevant, timely, and appropriate, adding that the evacuation tents already provided safe and dignified emergency shelters to hundreds of internally displaced populations affected by fire in Malabon and Cagayan de Oro, and homeless families in Navotas during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The Czech Republic, in the past years, has extended humanitarian assistance to those affected by typhoons in 2013 (Yolanda), 2016 (Nina), and 2018 (Mangkut).
This year, the Czech government pledged financial aid to the International Federation of Red Cross (IFCR) in assistance to areas hit by typhoons Rolly (Goni) and Ulysses (Vamco).