World Vision Development Foundation (WVDF) today provides 16,800 kilos of vegetables to the residents of Quezon City, Malabon City, Manila City, and Cagayan de Oro City, four of the hard-hit cities under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) due to the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
In collaboration with Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc. (PSFI), the child-focused organization packed and distributed fresh vegetable packs containing okra, sayote, cabbage scorpio, wombok, potatoes, squash, eggplant, onion, garlic, tomatoes, bitter gourd, string beans, carrots and chili pepper to 5,750 households and 60 front liners in Quezon City, Malabon City, Manila City, and Cagayan de Oro City.
Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables,” shared Carleneth San Valentin, World Vision’s technical manager for health.
PSFI Executive Director Sebastian Quiniones Jr. says, “This pandemic is allowing all to show the best of humanity, especially during this season of Lent where we are commanded to love one another. We at PSFI have always believed in the power of unity and collaboration, and this successful partnership with World Vision and Filipino farmers has manifested that.” While the collaboration begins by supporting farmers in Luzon and assisting vulnerable communities in Metro Manila and Cagayan de Oro City, the organizations hope to extend their collaboration to other areas in need of assistance.
At least 2,000 families have also received sanitation kits that include bath soaps, alcohol, toothbrushes for children and adults, toothpaste, face mask, and mouthwash. World Vision has also reached over 1.4 million people nationwide on awareness-raising on COVID-19 including infection prevention and control (IPC) measures.
In a recent advisory, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) gave the go signal to local governments to use a portion of their development fund to address the threat of the pandemic, which includes the provision of food assistance and relief goods for affected households.
Meanwhile to slow down the spread of COVID-19, the Philippine government has extended the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine to May 15, 2020.
About World Vision
World Vision is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organization dedicated to working with children, their families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. Inspired by its Christian faith and values, it is dedicated to working with the world’s most vulnerable people. It serves and collaborates with all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender. https://www.worldvision.org.ph
