Building Resilient CommunitiesDAMPA* Experience

* DAMPA is the Tagalog (a local Philippine dialect used quite extensively throughout the country) word for a poor persons home. An organizational acronym which roughly translates to Solidarity of Poor Filipinos, it is also a powerful symbol of unity in the urban poor struggle for genuine development.

DAMPA A federation of 217 grassroots

organizations Total membership of 79,197 urban

poor families (est. 475,182 individuals) Aims to contribute to providing

solutions to basic urban poverty issues, such as … Appropriate and affordable

housing, Demolition and relocation, Education and literacy among

urban poor children, Income generation and livelihood

development, Basic services, Women and children. Resilience building program

Visayas

Mindanao

Luzon

Context Flood prone areas

(Navotas, Quezon city, Manila

Affected south valley fault line (Q.C).

Typhoon “Ondoy” experience

Community in Surigao Leyte and Manila - Tsunami

Community Pharmacy Multiple approaches to security of Tenure

- Direct purchase- Maximize existing government housing

program Cooperative savings mobilization Micro-finance

Development Initiatives that Reduce Our Vulnerability to Disaster

Community Risk Mapping 7 municipalities in Metro Manila3,000 people, including local officials, health officials,

teachers, etc.Community Issues Identified: 1. Security of land tenure (Housing, demolitions and resettlement,

site development)2. Access to basic services in informal settlements

(water, electricity, communication)3. Access to public health care, specially of the most

vulnerable (affordable medicine, free public health consultations, access to hospitalization, access to services for special needs such as cancer and tuberculosis, and others)

4. Maternal and child care, including access to reproductive health services

5. Protection from and preparedness against disasters due to climate change

Follow Up Action After Mapping Dialogue with Dept. of Health: new community

pharmacies and additional free medicines. Disaster Preparedness Trainings with Baranguays and

Local Disaster Coordinating Council. Water Cooperative with Congressman and Baranguay Communities mobilized savings to get water connection

from Manila Water Disaster Quick Reaction Team in every community

Partnerships VFL 1 and VFL 2 leading to membership of the

National Coordinating Committee. We have been part of dialogue with INGOs on the

findings on VFL We are part of the Disaster Risk Reduction

Network, Philippines. Press for Local Implementation of Republic Act 10121: 5% budget for disaster/ calamity fund.

Local Government Partnerships for disaster trainings, negotiating housing tenure, health services

National Housing Authority in Relocation Sites.

Strategies

1. Community Organizing At different levels…

Local level (Community based /Village/ Barangay ). City level ( Formation of City / municipal wide

federation National federation Federation to federation (Groots Philippines, IPON) Global level (Groots International)

Of different sectors (women, youth, older persons, urban poor)

Main Components of Our Work

Organizing and Networking

Savings Mobilization Capacity and

capability building and learning

Dialogue and Partnership

Thank you!