May 2023 – April 2025
The Visayas Primary Healthcare Services, Inc. (VPHCS) is currently implementing a project starting May 1, 2023 to April 30, 2025. The project, “Building Disaster Resilient Communities in Informal Settlements in Cebu City, Philippines” is in collaboration with the Camillian Disaster Service International (CADIS), a humanitarian and development organization associated with the Order of the Ministers of the Infirm, commonly known as the Camillians and supported by the Italian Episcopal Conference which is an assembly of bishops from all dioceses in Italy.
The project is implemented in the following communities, namely, Sitio Lawis, Barangay Pasil, 2. Sitio Tierra Dulce, Barangay Inayawan, Sitio Wang Yu, Barangay Mambaling, and Sitio Nangka Ville, Barangay Quiot.
Areas vulnerability to fires and floods
These areas are all vulnerable to fires, floods, and the adverse impacts of typhoons. These areas feature people's organizations (POs) that will partner in and benefit from the project. Characteristics of these communities include cramped living conditions, poor sanitation, pollution, flood and landslide risks, lack of proper water supply, and inadequate access to basic social welfare and health services. These conditions contribute to numerous health issues, mental health problems, and general poor quality of life.
Specific vulnerabilities include the construction of homes from light materials, which poses a significant fire risk. Situations like the major fire in Sitio Lawis in 2018 exemplify this, with hundreds of households temporarily displaced. Flooding is another major issue, particularly in areas near rivers such as Sitio Lawis and Sitio Terra Dulce, where river overflow during high tides and rains threatens homes. Additionally, Sitio Nangka Ville faces landslide risks due to its hillside location, underscoring the precarious living conditions of the inhabitants.
These communities typify the general conditions of urban poor settlements in Cebu City where poverty remains a critical issue, with the poor primarily residing in hazardous zones such as near waterways, steep slopes, and waste sites. These conditions heighten their vulnerability to disasters like floods, landslides, and fires. Their homes, often constructed from flammable materials and lacking proper electrical installations, are particularly at risk of fire, especially in the aftermath of disasters like Typhoon Odette in December 2021. This typhoon severely impacted the urban poor, destroying infrastructure and exacerbating their already precarious economic and living conditions. Post-disaster, many residents struggled with basic necessities like food, water, and shelter, highlighting the ongoing challenges in disaster response and recovery for the most vulnerable populations in Cebu City.
Building disaster-resilient communities
This project, conceived in collaboration with leaders from four People's Organizations (POs) in vulnerable areas, aims to build disaster-resilient communities by training community health workers (CHWs) in primary healthcare, which includes first aid, illness prevention, health promotion, and selective curative care.
Initially, the project staff will meet with leaders of the four POs, each attended by 30 members and officers, to discuss partnership and project plans over the next two years, including objectives, strategies, timelines, and the establishment of various committees for disaster management, health and livelihood.
The initial meetings will also involve signing a Partnership Agreement with VPHCS and the designation of committee functions. Consultations with barangay officials are planned to gain support and endorsement for the project, which is critical for accessing local resources and integrating the efforts into official barangay disaster management plans.
Seminars and trainings on disaster preparedness
A series of seminars and trainings will be conducted to capacitate the officers and disaster committees of the four people’s organizations (PO) on disaster preparedness. There shall be a seminar on Community-based Disaster Management (CBDM) for each PO. Topics shall include definition of disaster, risk, vulnerability, and capacity, the different types of disasters, the sectors vulnerable to the effects of disasters, the national and local disaster situation, an orientation about CBDM, its history in the Philippines, objectives, characteristics and formation of Community Disaster Management Committee (CDMC) in each area.
The seminars on CBDM will be followed by three-day seminars on Participatory Assessment on Climate and Disaster Risk (PACDR) to be attended by ten members of the Community Disaster Management Committee (CDMC) and five officers in each PO, as well as three members of the respective Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (BDRRM).
The trainings shall enhance awareness on the preventive actions and preparedness measures to be undertaken that can substantially reduce the damage caused by disasters. Output of the trainings is a Participatory Disaster Risk Assessment consisting of tools such as community mapping, resource inventory, risk analysis, and hazard mapping.
Following the PACDR trainings shall be trainings on Community- based Disaster Management (CBDM) Planning. Ten members of the CDMC and five officers of the PO, and five members of the barangay DRRMC shall formulate their respective CBDM plans which shall include activities including education, organizing and mobilization of the community members to reduce the hazard risks and mitigate disaster effects.
After the seminars on disaster, each of the PO shall be given disaster kits consisting of flashlights, whistles, ropes, transistor radios, megaphone and other paraphernalia to be used by the CDMC in case of disasters.
Basic health skills trainings
Furthermore, good health of the people needs to be maintained that they shall not get sick when disasters occur, or when they get sick, they need to have proper health care which many cannot afford to have due to financial constraints, so that there is also the need to empower the community in terms of primary health care.
Thus, basic health skills trainings for members of the health committee of the four women’s associations will be conducted. The community health workers (CHW) will be trained on the prevention of illness, promotion of health and selective curative care, that is, on primary health care in the community level. Topics include the Philippine health care system, orientation on community-based health program (CBHP), home remedies for common illnesses using water therapy, first aid, control of acute respiratory infections and diarrheal diseases among children, hypertension and diabetes.
Health kits consisting of sphygmomanometers, stethoscopes, weighing scales, thermometers, essential medicines, first aid supplies and other basic health supplies shall be distributed after the trainings.
With the health knowledge and skills that they acquired, the CHWs will render health services including taking of blood pressure taking for hypertension screening and monitoring, health education on common illnesses and their home remedies, herbal medicine making, cupping therapy, and home visitations by the trained CHWs of sick children with cough and diarrhea.
Throughout the project, close coordination with local government units is emphasized to ensure sustainability post-funding. Overall, the project aims to empower the four communities, improve disaster readiness, enhance health services, and boost economic opportunities through structured training, strategic planning, and community involvement.
