MARAWI CITY (PIA)--The world is currently on its greatest effort to vaccinate the populace against the coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 with respective strategies pitched to attain herd immunity in all the countries. This intensified program involves not only the government but also other partners to ensure a ramped-up drive.
One of the tapped sectors is those constituting the non-government organizations (NGOs), bearing various advocacies to advance the betterment of society. Now, they get to be involved in the battle against the global health crisis through championing the COVID-19 vaccination program. Notably with the visible presence is the humanitarian organization named Community and Family Services International (CFSI).
In the Philippines, the CFSI has pursued numerous projects and its most recent effort is its support to the aggressively initiated three-day national vaccination days dubbed as Bayanihan, Bakunahan running from November 29 until December 1 this year.
Accordingly, the organization’s implementation of the Marawi COVID-19 Recovery Project (MCRP) with funds from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) of the Australian government paved the way for the support to be extended to the vaccination drive covering 14 barangays in Marawi City and six towns in Lanao del Sur province.
This, as it firmly believes that backing this national vaccination program will be beneficial on their end in meeting their goal which is to promote protection and recovery of at least 4,000 households or 20,000 individuals from the economic and psychosocial impact of armed conflict and the pandemic.
The CFSI particularly aimed to enter into close collaboration with key stakeholders, local government units (LGUs), rural health units (RHUs), and target communities to reach the grassroots and shed light on them with regards to the persisting pandemic, and the vaccines that they must be inoculated with to hit herd immunity and eventually beat the crisis.
Under the project, community orientation was conducted which was focused primarily on often disregarded areas in addition to the door-to-door campaign majorly giving convenience to persons with special needs such as pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.
Further, the organization facilitated safe space prospects for vaccination sites, utilizing its Harmony Learning Center in Sagonsongan and Lake View Transitory Shelters situated in Barangays Sagonsongan and Boganga, respectively.
Apart from all of these, information, education and communication (IEC) materials were also provided through the installation of relevant tarpaulin in identified strategic areas and radio guestings while its own sets of encoders were mobilized to assist in encoding and uploading online the information on vaccinated individuals in partnership with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the Social Work Department of Mindanao State University (MSU).
With all the efforts poured, the CFSI remained committed to lending its timely helping hand in the government’s vaccination program as aside from the MCRP objective, it shares the same perspective that vaccines are indeed effective solutions to pass through this unwelcomed COVID-19 health problem.
“Ang humanitarian organizations gaya ng CFSI ay naniniwala na ang bakuna kontra COVID-19 ay isa sa mga mabisang pamamaraan para protektahan ang ating sarili, ating pamilya at ating komunidad kaya nakikiisa ang CFSI sa ‘Bayanihan, Bakunahan’,” said CFSI MCRP coordinator and Iligan sub-office head Farida Mangcaan.
[Humanitarian organizations like the CFSI believe that the vaccine against the COVID-19 is one of the effective means to protect ourselves, our family and our community, that is why the CFSI we come as one in the ‘Bayanihan, Bakunahan’.] (CRG/PIA-Lanao del Sur)
