The novel Corona virus-19 disease (COVID-19) is sweeping across the world, including South East Asia. In the region, cases have started peaking from end of January 2020, and presently still on a seemingly upward trend. Government imposition of community quarantine or lockdowns and other large-scale social restrictions have been the common response to slow down the spread of the pandemic, to give time for the respective countries’ health systems to catch up; time to acquire testing kits, equip facilities and medical frontliners,  and organizing the investigation and treatment of infected cases. As of, 12 April 2020, there are a total of 16,041 confirmed cases, with 4% death rate in the whole of Southeast Asia . In the Philippines, the country is going into its third week of enhanced community quarantine. In Indonesia, large-scale social restrictions including suspension of school and prohibition of mass gatherings for religious activities is in place in Jakarta and surrounding localities, as well as entry of foreigners into the country. However, internally, they are anticipating the massive travel of people this coming Idul Fitri, which may cause further spread of the virus across the country. Other countries in the Mekong sub-region/ Indo-Burma have closed their respective borders and put in place strict travel regulations.

The COVID-19 pandemic may be aggravating conditions at the grassroots and local communities levels. The pandemic bares the social inequalities and core issues that indigenous, rural and other vulnerable groups struggle with. While not all, but more, communities are adversely impacted by the restriction from going out, slowing down of local economies as many are daily wage earners. The slowdown, if not stoppage, of supply chains for agricultural and other food products are affecting indigenous peoples and local communities who have been encouraged to become dependent on the more centralized cash economy.  The unprecedented extent and duration of the areas under lockdown or community quarantine have resulted into delays and gaps in the government response system. Some communities were doubly impacted as a result of the recent drought from the last six months. In one community in Mindanao, the situation has pushed them to go back to the remaining forests to forage for subsistence or their old farms that may unintentionally cause further forest degradation. To support this community, we have been looking for resources to purchase rice and salt, as requested by the head of the indigenous community. (You may read more about the Cauyunan community, by clicking the link: https://www.samdhana.org/stories/rice-and-salt-community-barangay-cauyanan)

Most of the governments in the region delayed their mitigating response, resulting into large numbers of affected individuals and unpreparedness in providing the necessary social safety nets for indigenous communities and other vulnerable groups. There are already reports that in places of conflict, the role of the military in implementing the travel and social restrictions are being abused to monitor individuals for political purposes, break up protest structures of communities, and even facilitate continuing operations and abuses against people and the environment.

Samdhana Institute is supporting Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) who are finding ways to survive, cope and innovate during these unusual times. Samdhana Institute is organizing more support to  these communities who have been struggling to assert their rights, and whose conditions have been made worst with the  COVID-19 pandemic.

It is not all bad news. The youth are stepping up to the challenge in supporting their communities. Civil society organization (CSO) Partners in Indonesia are helping keep people safe by producing hand sanitizers for free distribution to their communities.

We are thinking more and more about the need to support IPLC partners in greater food self-sufficiency and will be working with them to revive traditional food systems, develop home gardens, community farms, and other local initiatives on bringing back and improving health care and prevention. Even as communities call out their needs, we also listen to them on how they are coping during this time, and how their indigenous knowledge and systems lend them important survival mechanisms. What positive that can come out of this, is that we can support peoples' mechanisms of resilience, how they cope, and what possible innovations are discovered, created.  We hope to document and share these stories of people finding resilience even during this unprecedented time of the pandemic.

At this time, our current urgent action funds are not able to support the increasing request for emergency support from partner IPLCs. If you would like to know more about how you can help, please go to the following link.