One of the factors that led to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the Central Visayas region was the spread of “fake news” and unverified information in the communities. As a result, people in the communities took inappropriate actions and treatment that exposed them to risks.

The learning session highlighted COVID-19 response where member organizations and partners of Central Visayas Networks of NGOs (CENVISNET) networked to help ensure that communities receive appropriate and accurate information on how to deal with the COVID-19 situation.

Networking: The Laum Bohol Program of the Provincial Youth Development Office (PYDO) of Bohol provides accessible, sustainable, and integrative intervention that empowers the Boholano youth and raises their awareness and capacity to provide mental health and psychosocial support services amidst the crisis. Maricres Anunciado and Beau Marie Tinio of the PYDO presented the program overview, its five components, activities and services, and impact to date.

The five components of the Laum Bohol Program are: Amoma – to care and nurture, Abiba – to encourage and support, Dayag – to express and bring out, Bansay – to train and harness, and Duwa – to play and explore. To date, the program has reached over 3,000 direct beneficiaries, and more than 18,000 indirect reach.

Empowering: The University of Bohol Community Development Foundation, Inc. (UBCDFI) showcased their core advocacy program on managing health and lifestyle, “Operation Tabang Para sa Uban.” This program is led by UBCDFI President, Dr. Marilou Fudalan.  UBCDFI’s activities included the “Tabang alang sa Marawi City” (TAMCI) where guidance counselors and psychologists provided psychosocial debriefing activities with internally displaced persons in Bohol. The delivery of other extension services continued. These are webinars and conversations on environmental, occupational, physical, and mental well-being of people.

Transforming: Wilbert Dimol, a community organizer, shared about the community awareness raising initiatives of the Fellowship of Organizing Endeavors (FORGE) on public health services and policies. The organization facilitated a study session on the COVID-19 disease, distributed hygiene kits, conducted children’s art sessions as therapy, hosted online kapihan sessions and family conferences in order to connect with and lend a hand to the communities. This e-Talk session was co-organized by the Central Visayas Networks of NGOs (CENVISNET), a member network of CODE-NGO.

Watch the full session here.