USAID allots P100-M for ARMM program

DAVAO CITY — The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has earmarked $2 million or roughly P100 million for a two-year program, dubbed as Enrich and Rapid Improvement of Community Health (ENRICH), to be implemented in four provinces of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The fund will be channeled to four non-government organizations that will implement various population and health intervention programs in Tawi-Tawi, Basilan, Sulu and Lanao del Sur.

Last Tuesday, an agreement on the ENRICH program was signed here by USAID officials led by Deputy Chief of Mission Joseph Mussomeli and representatives of the partner-NGOs — the Christian Children’s Fund for Basilan, Save the Children for Sulu, Agricultural Cooperative Development-Volunteer Overseas Cooperative Assistance for Lanao del Sur, and the Helen Keller International for Tawi-Tawi.

Mussomeli said the four provinces, among the poorest in the country, have been receiving little assistance in terms of population and health programs compared to other areas.

Funding for the ENRICH program will reportedly be sourced from the $27-million health package which the United States has allocated for the Philippines.

The partner-NGOs will work in coordination with the local government units concerned, particularly on family planning programs and the campaign against tuberculosis. — Edith Regalado