KOICA Supports Masks and Emergency Food Aid for Urban Poor in the Philippines with NGOs

Over 1,000 New COVID-19 Cases Daily... Urban Poor Face Serious Health and Livelihood Issues Due to Regional Lockdowns

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency) is stepping up to support urban poor communities in the Philippines who are struggling to make a living due to recent local lockdowns caused by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), through cooperation with civil society.

On the 6th, KOICA's Philippines office announced that it had signed an agreement with the Korean NGO Camp Asia and the local Philippine NGO Joto to support the COVID-19 response for the urban poor in the Philippines.

According to the agreement, the three parties will distribute a total of 110,000 cotton masks for adults and children to seven urban poor residential areas in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, while also providing emergency food supplies such as rice, fish, and milk to 4,500 households in those areas.

KOICA's mask support is regarded as an excellent example of COVID-19 response in developing countries through cooperation with local civil society. The masks distributed were produced by the Philippine women-led social enterprise sewing center ‘Igting.’ KOICA supported the establishment of this center in 2018 as part of its civil society cooperation program aimed at creating jobs for urban poor women in Bulacan Province, Philippines.

Since its establishment, the Igting sewing center mainly produced and sold school uniforms, bags, and T-shirts, but with the spread of COVID-19, it shifted its production to cotton masks starting in April. The masks supported this time were made from materials directly imported from Korea. The outer layer of the mask is made of Korean cotton, and the inner layer uses tetron (a polyester-based fiber) to enhance functionality. Additionally, the masks are washable and reusable, making them ideal for vulnerable groups who have difficulty obtaining masks.

Song Min-hyun, head of KOICA's Philippines office, said, “Masks and relief food are one-time supports and not sustainable, but without even these, vulnerable groups would lack the minimum means to sustain life. Although the support amount is small, about 1,000 KRW per beneficiary, we will contribute to helping vulnerable groups stand up again through rapid support in cooperation with NGOs.”

Lee Cheol-yong, representative of Camp Asia, said, “This urban poor support activity is also meaningful in terms of revitalizing local businesses in developing countries. Due to the local lockdown caused by COVID-19, Igting sewing center’s orders had stopped, but KOICA’s support for mask production in response to COVID-19 greatly helped maintain the center.”

Rowina Osal, team leader of the Igting sewing center, said, “I have worked at the sewing center for 10 years while raising children, and this year my child became a police officer. This was a dream I could not have achieved without KOICA’s support. Now, as I prepare to make masks to help my neighbors, I feel deeply moved. I hope our support will be a small help in protecting the lives of vulnerable groups.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.