THE United States Agency for International Development (USAid) launched new partnerships for youth empowerment, civil society engagement and health in Bohol province.

According to USAid Deputy Mission Director Rebecca Eubanks, USAid and the Philippine Business for Education launched a partnership with the Bohol Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) to train more than 600 unemployed and out-of-school youth in fields such as agriculture, fisheries and tourism.

Eubanks, who visited Bohol from July 25 to 27, 2022, said the partnership is to support the province’s economic recovery.

She met with local government officials to discuss key issues such as economic recovery, good governance and health care access in the province.

Eubanks noted that USAid’s Cities Development Initiative advances the development of cities outside Metro Manila as inclusive, environmentally sustainable and resilient engines of growth. According to her, the BCCI network of companies offers youth access to a range of opportunities for personal and professional growth.

“More importantly, the skills they can learn will help them develop into productive employees, community changemakers and future leaders who will help steer the country’s economic recovery from the impacts of the pandemic,” she said.

In Tagbilaran City, Eubanks also met with members of the Youth Development Alliance (YDA) and joined 80 out-of-school youth beneficiaries at a mangrove planting activity.

YDAs have a presence in 15 cities across the Philippines with the support of USAid.

The alliances are multisectoral partnerships that connect out-of-school youth to local businesses for employment and to other organizations for further education and entrepreneurship opportunities.

The USAid also participated in the launch of Tagbilaran City’s civil society organization (CSO) desk and its peer mentoring program “Adopt-a-CSO” wherein bigger and more established CSOs will help smaller CSOs register or acquire local government accreditation.

Eubanks said USAid trained 50 CSO and city government representatives in creating safe spaces for respectful processing and consensus-building, contributing to a culture of effective engagement between local governments and CSOs.

“Bringing government closer to citizens allows people to participate more effectively in local affairs, including the identification of community priorities,” she added.

Eubanks said the local leaders can be held increasingly accountable for decisions that affect citizens’ lives, thus reinforcing the people’s faith in the legitimacy of the political system.

In Bohol, USAid also trained 25 nurses and midwives on family planning and distributed family planning information material to rural health units in the province.

The US Embassy in the Philippines said for the past 60 years, USAid has invested more than P247.5 billion ($5.1 billion) to support the Philippines since 1961, working with the government and local organizations to achieve shared development goals.