PCCED Joins Learning Event on Humanitarian Collaborative Engagement
Represented by its Executive Director, Raiza Cusi and Program Director, Myttee Palo, PCCED participated in the Learning Event of the Start Network’s (Oxfam, Tear Fund and Christian Aid) Financial Enablers Project (FEP) on COLLABORATIVE ENGAGEMENT: SHAPING THE PRESENT AND FUTURE OF OUR HUMANITARIAN COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE held last March 16-17, 2017 at Panglao, Bohol. PCCED’s participation in the event was made possible through its membership in the Bohol Consortium on Humanitarian Assistance (BCHA) alongside Bohol Integrated Development Foundation, Inc. (BIDEF), University of Bohol-Community Development Foundation, Inc. (UBCDFI) and the Diocesan Social Action Center of the Diocese of Tagbilaran (DSAC).
The event became a “learning hub” for the leaders of the BCHA-member organizations to share the significant 
learnings that the consortium has gained from the 9-month work of strengthening the capacity of its staff, community partners and volunteers on emergency response. The BCHA also learned and worked with 6 other consortiums (comprised of NGOs, People’s Organizations, LGUs and Academic Institutions, formed through FEP, across the Philippines) to build consensus on the key elements necessary for a robust and functioning consortium on humanitarian work and review the progress or concretizing and operationalizing actions on the 3 themes – consortium growth, framework building and tracking influence (thematically and geographically).
PCCED’s participation in the event has a particular value-added element not only in its humanitarian work, but also in its development agenda of strengthening civic: knowledge,skills and attitude of the citizens and local communities to identify solutions to their community problems, and significantly contribute in decision-making processes. Following the historic Grand Bargain Agreement that was reached during the World Humanitarian Summit, a series of changes on the working practices in the humanitarian ecosystem are being put forward. The learning event became a platform to exchange ideas (between and among 7 humanitarian consortium) on the value of “localization” – that humanitarian solutions must start and end with local communities; that local people walk the first and the last step to serve their communities, especially the most vulnerable groups; the need to address the seeming “false divide” between development and humanitarian effort, especially because of the many common and articulated objectives, priorities and cross-cutting issues i.e rights-based approach, gender mainstreaming, climate change adaptation, that leads to an overarching development goal and agenda; that truly humanitarian work is at the heart of development work.
The lessons learned from the workshops and dialogue in the Learning event have strengthened PCCED’s commitment to the Bohol Consortium on Humanitarian Assistance (BCHA) and will significantly contribute in scaling-up the organization’s humanitarian aid and development projects in Bohol, especially with the approval of the 3rd phase of “AYUDA HUMANITARIA para FILIPINAS” in partnership wit Zabalketa and with support from Agencia Vasca de Cooperacion para el desarollo, which will commence on April 2017, in the Municipalities of Antequera, Loon and San Isidro, in the Province of Bohol.
The humanitarian aid projects of PCCED in partnership with Zabalketa started in 2013, following the 7.2 magnitude earthquake, in the Bohol Province, Philippines. PCCED have served various earthquake affected communities in the Municipality of Loon and Antequera Bohol, including Typhoon Haiyan affected population in the Municipality of Palompon in the Leyte province on various sectors, i.e. Shelter, Wash, Food Security, Livelihood, and Infrastructure (Public Health Centers and Schools).
