PACAP BRIDGING PHASE
The Philippines-Australia Community Assistance Program (PACAP) is one of Australia’s longest-running programs in the Philippines, providing direct assistance to poor communities for over 20 years and has benefited millions of Filipinos.
PACAP’s community empowerment approach continues to help build beneficiary communities’ capacity to meet their own needs, including advocating for their rights, enhancing livelihood opportunities, and promoting social development through peace-building and increased access to basic services.
PACAP is currently on a bridging phase since October 2010. PACAP’s previous phase (2005-2010 had two funding schemes: the Focal Community Assistance Scheme (FOCAS) and the Responsive Assistance Scheme (RAS). Under the bridging phase, RAS has been the preferred modality given its flexibility, shorter implementation period and smaller fund ceiling.
A total of 40 community-based projects spread across Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao are currently implemented. AusAID has committed Php 70,890,822 (AUD 1,562,381) grant funds for these projects. These initiatives focus primarily on education, infrastructure for growth, health, persons with disability and the indigenous people. Of the said figure, 23 projects respond to education issues pertaining to access, participation and inclusion, mainstream and non-formal education. On the other hand, 17 projects respond to enhancing access to small infrastructures aimed at improving health & sanitation services and practices, livelihood and mitigating the impacts of disaster (Figure 1).
Through the projects, PACAP aims to promote significant changes in poor communities. Overall, it hopes to contribute to the improvement of the lives of small farmers, fisher folks, persons with disabilities, women, children and youth and the indigenous peoples.
PACAP Forum on Peace and Development
Extreme poverty and social discrimination has contributed to unrest in Mindanao. The decades-long conflict has made the country’s second largest island the battleground between government troops, communists, secessionist groups, and warring clans. The result is the inescapable reality of conflict described through different levels of violence. It displaces hundreds of people, interrupts lives, and deprives them of their right to democratic decision-making, social progress and economic security.
Development initiatives
The quest for “Peace on Earth” has remained elusive as conflicts have been chronic realities around the world. Global terrorism has inflicted ghastly impact on human lives and property. An on-line WorldBank report stated that around 600 million people live in countries experiencing ongoing violence and residues of past severe conflicts. And one of these countries is the Philippines.
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