Building Actors and Leaders for Advancing Community Excellence in Development Project (BALANCED Philippines)

firefoxIn key bioregions of the country, the threat of demographic factors on the biodiversity and productivity of marine ecosystems and the sustainability of conservation gains are highest. USAID/ BALANCED is a global project to advance and support results-oriented population, health, environment (PHE) field approaches in biodiversity-rich areas. BALANCED Philippines will promote the PHE approach to empower communities in globally significant marine bioregions - Verde Island Passage (VIP) Marine Biodiversity Corridor and the Danajon Double Barrier Reef (Visayan Bioregion)- to meet their expressed need for voluntary Family Planning (FP) services and information and educate them on the underlying linkages between reducing population pressure and improving the management and sustainability of coastal resources, and empower stakeholders to manage and conserve marine resources and biodiversity assets. The project will also create an enabling environment that promotes the integration of PHE into governmental plans and programs.

In key bioregions of the country, the threat of demographic factors on the biodiversity and productivity of marine ecosystems and the sustainability of conservation gains are highest. USAID/ BALANCED is a global project to advance and support results-oriented population, health, environment (PHE) field approaches in biodiversity-rich areas. BALANCED Philippines will promote the PHE approach to empower communities in globally significant marine bioregions - Verde Island Passage (VIP) Marine Biodiversity Corridor and the Danajon Double Barrier Reef (Visayan Bioregion)- to meet their expressed need for voluntary Family Planning (FP) services and information and educate them on the underlying linkages between reducing population pressure and improving the management and sustainability of coastal resources, and empower stakeholders to manage and conserve marine resources and biodiversity assets. The project will also create an enabling environment that promotes the integration of PHE into governmental plans and programs.

BALANCED Philippines will assist 29 municipal local government units (LGUs) located in the two bioregions, reach over one million people , and serve an estimated 100,000 under-served women (15-49 years) with FP methods and PHE information, improve the management of an estimated 800 hectares of marine protected areas and increase incentives for coastal and marine conservation among fisher households.

BALANCED is implemented by The Coastal Resources Center-University of Rhode Island (CRC-URI) in partnership with PATH Foundation Philippines Inc. (PFPI) and Conservation International (CI). Started in December 2010, the project will run through August 2013.

GOAL

To build the leadership and implementation capacities of national and local governments and stakeholders to respond in an integrated manner to interrelated population, health and marine environmental issues.

PROJECT COMPONENTS

  1. Improving community's access to family planning/ reproductive health (FP/RH) services in key bioregions, through assistance to rural health units (RHUs) and NGOs, to enhance their knowledge and skills on FP/RH and population, health and environment (PHE) linkages, and establish alternative community-based distribution (CBD) outlets, and social marketing arrangements with municipal local government units (LGUs);
  2. Increasing community awareness and support of family planning and conservation as a means to improved health and food and environmental security through recruitment and training of adult peer educators and implementation of a behavior change communication strategy;
  3. Increasing local policy makers' commitment to FP/RH services, CRM and integrated PHE policies through joint PHE orientation and planning with stakeholders, national-level PHE orientation and advocacy and technical assistance for PHE activities;
  4. Improving governance capacities of provincial and municipal LGUs in the VIP and Danajon Bank marine ecosystems through strengthening of marine protected areas (MPA), Bantay Dagat Networks and fisheries management;
  5. Increasing incentives for coastal and marine conservation among coastal fisher households through provision of technical livelihood support

CONTACT INFORMATION

Ronaldo Quintana, MD
Project Manager, BALANCED Philippines
PATH Foundation Philippines, Inc. (PFPI)
10F Unit 1009 Tower 2 Cityland Condominium 10
154 H.V. Dela Costa St., Salcedo Vill., Makati City
Tel No. (632) 817-5049; Fax No. (632) 893-5360
Email: rquintana@pfpi.org
Website: www.pfpi.org and http://balanced.crc.uri.edu/