As part of Coaches Across Continents’ (CAC) Global COVID-19 response efforts, Community Impact Coaches (CIC’s) worldwide led training programs using CAC’s purposeful play curriculum, COVID awareness resources and mental health education.  CAC is a US registered nonprofit which partners with community organizations in more than 100 countries.

These partnerships consist of year-round comprehensive organizational development and sport for social impact education.  CAC has been one of FundLife’s long-term partners and our very own Football for Life Academy and Girls Got This coach Patrina Kaye N. Caceres who has worked alongside CAC since 2014, domestically and internationally, as one of its Philippine Community Impact Coaches was handpicked by CAC to receive funding and to lead two two-day on field training programs in Tacloban City.  

As Coach Patty puts it: “it’s a very different feeling to actually lead the programs as compared to assisting as a Community Impact Coach because I had to step up my facilitating game. I had to be more confident with my voice and had to assess what can be done better after every training day. But with the help of my two chosen CIC’s from FundLife, coaches Da and Pao, I believe we were able to handle the sessions very well. We banked on each other’s strengths to ensure that the individual weaknesses we had, will not hinder the success of the two programs.”
On November 29 and 30, the first training program started. Here the main focus was to educate FundLife coaches.

One of the aspiring coaches, Daniel, shared his insights about the training: “I learned a lot from the CAC training, not just about coaching football but also about different social issues. I found it amazing that CAC’s curriculum had drills and other games to raise awareness about social issues. I am sure our players will have fun during the sessions if we use the games we learned, because the other coaches and I had so much fun. There was not a moment when we were not laughing or smiling during the two-day training program. I became more confident as a coach and I am really thankful that I got to experience such an out of the box coaching education.”       

The second training program took place on December 17 and 18. It was open to all and was participated by some coaches, players, teachers, community leaders and representatives from the Department of Education as well as our FundLife staff.  One of the participants, Teacher Lily, who was Coach Patty’s first grade teacher, and is now a principal at an elementary school in Tacloban City, shares her thoughts about the CAC training session: “the session was a fun one and it feels good to learn new tricks in educating and coaching from your pupil.”    The two training programs were also part of YOUnified, the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) anniversary youth-led activities for the Philippines this year. FundLife and CAC ensured the training programs had followed IATF and local health protocols. Through the training programs, Coaches Across Continents delivered its promise of mentoring and empowering communities through the organizations they partner with.

​Words by Patrina Caceres (Coach Patty)​

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''A child’s safety is everyone’s responsibility'', said Julie Ruth Martija, Social Welfare Officer II from the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office of Dulag, during the coach’s orientation workshop on Child Rights and Child Protection last July 25, 2020.

Eleven (11) youth mentors from FundLife who have been working with communities and children participated in the refresher orientation for child protection policy during COVID-19 quarantine measures. The discussion of the orientation was anchored on the mandate of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the lawson child protection in the Philippines.

Through the activity, the coaches were able to share and discuss common issues and concerns they encounter working as youth mentors who directly engage with children in various learning and play activities.

They also learned how to report and properly respond as youth mentors to different types of abuse at the time of COVID-19 quarantine measures . The seminar helped youth mentors gain a better understanding on how they can ensure the safety and security of children through FundLife’s current online education initiatives during the on-going COVID-19 crisis.

“I expect that all the things we learned today, we (youth mentors and coaches) be in our hearts, mind and in our actions,” said Coach John Paul, FundLife youth mentor, when asked about his thoughts after the workshop training.
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Prior to the training, the youth mentors were also able to attend the first part of the webinar session about Safeguarding in Sports through the initiative of UNICEF and 'Street Football World' on July 23, 2020.

The webinar session enabled the coaches to get good practices from various organizations about safeguarding. These capacity building activities are timely for FundLife’s front liners to be able to ensure that children are well protected from all forms of harm and violence in our COVID-19 Response Training Sessions.

The increasing number of COVID-19 cases remains to threaten the country. As of July 21, there are already more than 68,000 confirmed cases and at least 1,800 deaths. The pandemic has become a major health crisis worldwide and in the Philippines. It has already caused detrimental effects to the country’s healthcare system and has exhausted the government’s resources. social distancing, self-isolation and travel restrictions – measures imposed to curb the outbreak have left at least 7.3 million Filipinos who lost their jobs during the lockdown (Philippine Statistics Authority, 2020). Seemingly, after months of quarantine protocols, many local government units have started to ease out quarantine restrictions – except for Cebu City.
 
As of July 20, 2020, there are 9,132 cases of COVID-19 in the major cities of Cebu, particularly in Cebu City, Talisay City, Mandaue City, Lapu-Lapu City, and the Municipality of Cordova according to the Department of Health’s COVID-19 Tracker. While the rest of these cities are already under General Community Quarantine’ status, Cebu City is the only remaining local government unit in the country under Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ).Most of its barangays (villages) are under “localized hard lockdown” as a way to implement the stay-at-home rule to contain the virus. Albeit that businesses and public transportation are already allowed under this status, they are limited, and employment and economic activities of daily wage earners and informal workers remain affected.
 
In a recent survey carried out by ZEP Cebu Convergence in May 2020 to determine the impact of COVID-19 and the community quarantine protocols to families in Metro Cebu, 84% of the 6,616 surveyed households indicated that they had a decreased income during the lockdown, and 43% of them experienced skipping meals during the quarantine period. The survey result reaffirms the priority agenda identified by ZEP in improving the lives of severely affected communities due to COVID-19, to wit:
 
 Nutrition and Food Security

• Provide sustainable food sources for families living below the poverty line.
• Improve the delivery of food services by supporting small businesses and transport groups.
• Provide support by conducting trainings or providing information and inputs such as soil, water supply system, small pots, and other materials for urban gardening and ecological agriculture for urban poor, coastal, and small island communities.
• Provide immediate assistance to the homeless through provision of centers with adequate supply of food and water
• Provide immediate assistance to families by distributing food packs through government and non-government organizations.

 
Healthcare

• Provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for frontliners and medical practitioners to protect themselves against the virus.
• Provide logistical assistance in the hospitals and quarantine centers by supplying hospital beds, respirators, testing kits, and additional facilities.
• Provide support in disseminating information throughout the poor communities in every barangays by supplying printed information packets regarding healthcare and education.
• Improve board and lodging facilities for augmented frontline health care workers.

 
Education

• Provide support in training and workshops for teachers and instructors as well as parents and community leaders regarding remote learning
• Provide play-base modules for parents with children under Early Education.
• Provide solutions to problems on lack of gadgets, internet connection, and alternative learning delivery modalities
• Provide information, education, and communication channels during the pandemic, such as the blended learning approach, online learning, school enrolment process, and other school-related activities.

 
Child Nutrition and Protection

• Provide care packages for children with nutritious food, age appropriate toys, and hygiene items.
• Provide mental health and psychosocial support for children in highly vulnerable communities.
• Provide better support for adolescents against online exploitation, trafficking, and other forms of abuse.
• Provide learning assistance in the early, primary, and secondary levels to help children address circumstances that may be related to abuse and other vulnerable circumstances.

 
Since the declaration of the state of public health emergency last March 2020 while many local organizations, including members of the ZEP Cebu Convergence, have been acting on-ground to supplement the government’s relief efforts in providing aid to quarantined families, isolated individuals, and frontliners. Yet the prolonged implementation of lockdown has exhausted the

resources available both from the government and the private organizations. With the uncertainties of vaccine development, and concrete plans for post-quarantine recovery, heightened insecurities especially among low-income families continue. If these are left unaddressed, these could push them deeper into extreme poverty and greater difficulty.
 
In this light, the ZEP2030 Cebu Convergence, calls for a more concerted effort in responding to the immediate and long-term needs of vulnerable families. In addition, the convergence requests the international and national organizations, humanitarian funding institutions, and networks to provide support and resources to enable local organizations to continue implementing initiatives that will make a positive contribution in building a more livable, safe, healthy and resilient urban communities.
 
The Zero Extreme Poverty 2030 (ZEP) Cebu Convergence, which was convened in Cebu last August 2019, aims to uplift 1 million families from extreme poverty to self-sufficiency. The convergence which started as a CSO-led national movement in the country in 2015, is working to continue the provision of support to the severely affected communities due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Metro Cebu.
 
ZEP2030 Cebu Convergence
July 20, 2020

Contributors and signatories to the letter;

• Central Visayas Network of NGOs (CENVISNET), Talisay City, Cebu
• Fellowship for Organizing Endeavors, Inc. (FORGE),  Cebu City, Cebu
• Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI), Cebu City, Cebu
• A2D Project-Research Group for Alternatives to Development, Inc, Cebu City, Cebu
• ImPACT, Cebu City, Cebu
• Coalition for Better Education, Inc. (CBE), Cebu City, Cebu
• University of Southern Philippines Foundation - Community Extension Services (USPF-CES) Cebu City, Cebu
• FundLife Philippines, Mandaue City, Cebu