THE United States Agency for International Development (USAID) recently launched four new projects worth P280 million (around $5.7 million) to promote local-development solutions in the Philippines.
USAID Philippines’s Deputy Mission Director Patrick Wesner inaugurated the said projects with other government, civil-society, private sector and academia partners in a virtual event on May 7.
“As we celebrate the 75th anniversary of US-Philippines diplomatic relations, we look forward to furthering our productive collaboration with Philippine civil-society organizations (CSOs), as we continue to pursue inclusive and resilient growth for Filipinos,” said Wesner.
The four projects will empower local organizations to try new and unique approaches addressing development challenges in their communities:
n The “Coalescing Organizations toward Locally Led Actions to Boost Development” project will employ data and evidence to advance development in 10 sites in Sorsogon, Leyte, Eastern Samar, Misamis Oriental and Sultan Kudarat over a period of two-and-a-half years.
- The two-year (2021 to 2023) “Facilitating Local Access to Water” project will help local partners in Tublay, Benguet achieve reliable access to safe drinking water.
- “Assets, Agency and Trust,” a two-year action-research project, will use consultations and networking activities to mobilize local resources and drive development activities across the country.
- The three-year (2021 to 2024) “Capacitating Strategic Organizations to Strengthen the Civil-Society Organization Sector” project will empower CSOs to effectively deliver services and sustain development results initially in Iloilo City and Cagayan de Oro City.
These four projects join the Generating Rural Opportunities by Working with Cooperatives program, launched last year to expand rural livelihood opportunities and increase food security, as part of Local Works, USAID’s flagship locally led development effort, which utilizes the creativity and resourcefulness of local communities, enabling them to drive their own development.