MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The dire impacts of COVID-19, from social, economic, and environmental perspectives are unprecedented, but these did not take the upper hand on the ingenuity of SDSN Youth against the pandemic. In response to the challenges posed, the non-profit organization found a way to pivot their operations online amidst the limitations set by the government for safety measures.
In March 2020, the Philippine government called for a strict community quarantine with the intent to subdue the virus. From stringent enforcement of social distancing, to travel bans and mandatory wearing of face masks, no one was spared from the drastic changes that befell the country. Moreover, the internet and social media channels were bombarded with fake news that misled and confused many. Truly new challenges arrived with COVID-19 but these did not stop SDSN Youth from serving the public.
SDSN Youth is one of the NGOs to adapt the work-from-home scheme to ensure the safety and well-being of its members. The first month was spent struggling to pursue planned goals and programs with hopes that the pandemic will soon end. However, the increasing cases of COVID-19 and the extension of community quarantine indicated otherwise. Even without proper training in confronting a pandemic, the organization heeded the need to reinvent themselves for the greater good and joined the UN Task Force against COVID-19.
The organization’s vision to serve timely and relevant news to people came from a group chat wherein fact-checked news about the pandemic was sent daily. This inspired them to create a similar initiative for the Filipino public. This led to the development of the Interactive Philippine Dashboard on COVID-19, a platform that grants access to dependable information. After weeks of hard work before the launch, the youth-friendly and interactive dashboard was designed to feature a demographic vulnerability map, noteworthy news, volunteer and donation drives of other bona fide youth organizations, and SAM or “Standardized and Automated Messaging” bot, an IBM Watson assistant that answers queries about the virus.
Innovations from other great young minds aspiring to help others have also been launched. Y-PEER Pilipinas, Inc., together with other humanitarian organizations, was able to launch the Online COVID-19 Response on ASRH in Emergencies (ASRHiE), that aims to ensure the continuous provision of Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) services. The pandemic did not stop them from assisting young people living with HIV to access ARV refills and giving access to free condoms and lubricants through #GetCondomPH. They were also able to reach more than 100,000 young minds through #QuaranTALK, an online peer education session via Facebook Live, which received a great deal of online support.
Another organization has also followed suit. Sowing Legacy Movement Inc. has proven that there’s no place too far for eager hearts, as they continued their annual tradition of going to the remote barangay of Sanke, Hinobaan, Negros Occidental. With support from the Consuelo Zobel Alger Foundation, the outreach was accomplished by 10 volunteers, who delivered 60 sacks of rice, 2500 canned goods, assorted vegetables, and health kits allocated for 500 families. The organization also began a COVID Response Initiative and distributed relief goods to street dwellers, public vehicle drivers, and street vendors albeit the risks.
In spite of the struggles, the COVID-19 pandemic has truly showcased young people’s innate resilience and versatility. SDSN Youth was able to rise above the challenges presented by the pandemic, to achieve great progress in public service that has been lauded by the government and private sectors. SDSN Youth, along with its fellow youth organizations, have successfully transformed their struggles into exemplary benevolence. May this leap from challenges to ingenuity encourage younger generations and other organizations to persistently catalyze change and propose solutions for their respective advocacies.
