FILIPPINE (ENGLISH)

CONTEXT

The Human Development Index (HDI) for the Philippines has increased from 0.598 in 1990 to 0.699 in 2021, growing over those three decades alongside the Asia-Pacific Region’s trajectory and currently the country ranks 16th in the Region and 116th in the world (UNDP, 2024). However, beyond the progress, there are still widespread disparities and persistent structural exclusion in the country worsened by the pandemic and the rising cost of living amid global crises, persistent challenges of poverty and inequality, gender biases, and a large informal economic sector.

NEED

The Filipino population is growing fast. Along with this, the number of Filipinos with disabilities is also increasing. Yet, the number of occupational therapists working in the country is still relatively low. The ratio of occupational therapists in the country to the Philippine population is 0.4 per 10,000 population, well below the world average set at 0.9 (World Federation of Occupational Therapists Occupational, 2016).
In addition to that, in terms of geographic distribution, more than 55% of Filipino occupational therapists is concentrated in the National Capital Region (NCR) which is the Philippine archipelago region that encompasses all of the large metropolitan area of the capital city Manila. Finally, the majority of occupational therapists work with private facilities (91.71%). Only a few are employed in government facilities (4.43%) and nongovernmental (3.85%).

At the request of Guanellian Solidarity Foundation, which collaborates in the country with the Congregation of the Servants of Charity- Opera Don Guanella, Don Carlo Gnocchi Foundation in 2024 will implement a capacity building program to support the Special School within the Harong Kan Sagrada Familia. This reality provides within it a residential center for the physically disabled, the special school for the mentally disabled, the physiotherapy service, spaces for the “Feeding program” aimed at children/children with malnutrition, and the Pavilion play space for basketball.

The Foundation's intervention will focus on developing skills in occupational therapy to provide a qualified service to 57 children and youth with intellectual disabilities and special needs who are users of the Special School and to the outside community, which would otherwise be nonexistent.

The training will target 15 teachers (6 Special School Teachers and 9 public school teachers).

The project includes:

• a hybrid training with distance learning sessions;
• two field missions by international exper.