CRS Work in The Philippines

CRS Philippines works in the following areas:

Enterprise Development/Microfinance

Our Enterprise Development program and the Responsible Investments for Solidarity and Empowerment (RISE) finance company provide poor individuals with loans for their small businesses. Ninety percent of the borrowers are women. In 2002, we gave out 12,000 new loans worth over $1 million.

Health

CRS Philippines helps families improve their well-being through our community-based approach to health programming. We promote sustainable health development by expanding families' access to health services in remote villages underserved by government facilities. CRS Philippines uses partnership building as a key strategy to bring together the church, government, community organizations and residents to improve community-level health services.

Some specific examples of our work include the following:

Community-Based Health Program

In 2002, CRS Philippines continued improving sanitation facilities in remote villages through the Community-Based Health Program (CBHP). CBHP partners installed 19 water pumps and water reservoirs, providing 8,500 individuals with access to potable water. The project also financed the construction of 460 latrines to benefit 2,700 individuals.

In 2003, CRS implemented a social health insurance program in select communities. The program will enable poor families to get quality medical care at accredited hospitals or clinics for small premiums. In addition to meeting a pressing public health need, the program presents an innovative way to ensure the health program's financial sustainability.

Emergency Response

CRS Philippines provided $30,000 in emergency assistance to Caritas Philippines for families affected by Typhoon "Nanang" (Ling-Ling) in November 2001. The funding was used to purchase 2,000 sacks of rice for 3,000 families (18,000 individuals) in the Camiguin and Negros Occidental provinces.