The Embassy of Canada has announced that nine organizations from across the Philippines will receive support from the Canada Fund this year.
“In 2022-23, the Embassy of Canada marked its 50th year of supporting local organizations in the Philippines through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives. This year, in alignment with Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, we have focused our support on areas of our shared interests and values with the Philippines, including food security, environment and sustainable fisheries, democracy and inclusive governance, promoting transitional justice, and championing human rights and human dignity,” Canada’s Ambassador to the Philippines David Hartman said.
The following organizations and their respective projects will receive Canada Fund grants: Vera Files’ Enhancing Media’s Capability to Raise Public Awareness of the Situation in the South China Sea project will build the capacity of local journalists to report effectively on developments in the South China Sea, their global security and economic implications, and to express how ordinary Filipinos can relate the situation to their personal lives. This project aims to strengthen democracy and the rules-based international order through addressing the pervasive issues of misinformation and disinformation.
The Philippine Anti-Discrimination Alliance of Youth Leaders (PANTAY), Inc., through its EquAllies Campaign aims to increase the momentum of the SOGIE Equality Bill movement by strengthening the strategic communications capacities of 10 women's rights organizations and 10 worker's rights organizations. This project will highlight the intersectionality and solidarity among the sectoral groups to advance a shared vision for advancing human rights and anti-discrimination.
Oceanus Conservation Inc.’s Prioritizing Conservation Efforts: Mapping Biodiversity Hotspots in Marine Ecosystems in Busuanga, Palawan project will partner with local government, barangays, local tourism businesses, and government agencies to identify a hotspot Marine Protected Area in Busuanga, Palawan and to collaboratively develop a holistic conservation plan. The project will aim to protect the region’s rich biodiversity, and increase the income generated by local communities through the sustainable use of marine resources, creating a model that could be replicated in other areas of the Philippines.
The Philippine Earth Justice Center, Inc.’s Community-Based Environmental Protection Program in partnership with the University of Cebu Law School, Philippine Government agencies responsible for coastal and environmental management, and a broad consortium of environmental legal aid centers, will work with 10 barangays in Bantayan Island, Cebu, to strengthen environmental protection of critical marine biodiversity areas of the Tanon Strait.
The University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) and Northern Bukidnon State College (NBSC) Project MOCHA aims to develop a more sustainable business model to promote indigenous food products produced by seven indigenous populations in Bukidnon, Mindanao. These products, including coffee, wild raw honey, and Adlai, can be essential components in alleviating hunger, protecting indigenous customs and climate-resilient agricultural practices, and strengthening environmental protection.
The Centre for Empowerment & Development of People’s Organizations in Eastern Visayas (COPE, Inc.) in partnership with GIOS Samar through its Ecosystem Approach in Fisheries Management project, will work with fishing communities in Zummaraga, Samar, to enhance climate change-resilient and inclusive local livelihoods by leveraging opportunities in the marine economy, including in aquaculture, sustainable fisheries management, and tourism sector development.
The Ateneo Human Rights Center (AHRC)’s project Addressing the Silent Pandemic project will promote the access to justice of child survivors of sexual abuse and exploitation, through the strengthening of hospital-based child protection units, which are often the first responders in addressing cases of abuse and violence. The project aims to develop policies and partnerships that will strengthen the capacity of hospitals across the country in recognizing, recording, reporting, and referring cases of sexual abuse and exploitation.
PREDA Foundation, Inc.’s Improving Access to Protection, Recovery and Justice for Male and Female Children-survivors of Abuse, Sex Trafficking, and Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation, will assist in the context of a residential therapeutic center, in providing protection, recovery and healing for 100 children-survivors of sexual violence. The project will also assist child survivors in seeking justice and will advocate to strengthen local and national systems for addressing the Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC).
The Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID) STRENGTHEN-BARMM project aims to strengthen and promote the political participation of women and youth, IDP communities, and civil society in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), particularly in Marawi City, through capacity development, transitional justice dialogues with local and national authorities, and a durable peace advocacy campaign.
“The Canada Fund is a recognition of the fundamental importance to democracy of creating and preserving space for civil society, academia, human rights advocates, and local and national government to work together constructively and collaboratively to advance shared goals for the betterment of society.” Ambassador Hartman said.
The Canada Fund is a competitive grants program run by the Embassy of Canada in the Philippines, which provides direct financial support to local organizations for projects that promote inclusive governance, such as by empowering women and girls, strengthening democracy, protecting the environment, advancing human rights, and promoting the rule of law.