2 March 2021-USAID Strengthening Urban Resilience for Growth with Equity (SURGE) Project, Coca-Cola Philippines, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Balay Mindanaw Foundation, Inc., and the City Government of Cagayan de Oro, turned over 22 handwashing stations to public markets and barangay health centers and 200 safe store kits to carinderia and store owners in Cagayan de Oro City in a virtual rollout today.

Supporting the local government’s advocacy of nonpharmaceutical interventions (mask-wearing, social distancing, and handwashing) to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Coca-Cola Foundation, Philippines partnered with USAID and Mindanao-based non-profit Balay Mindanaw Foundation, Inc. to install handwashing facilities in two (2) public markets and 20 barangay health centers in Cagayan de Oro.

Recognizing the economic challenges posed by the pandemic, the USAID-Coca Cola Safe Stores Partnership sought to assist micro-retailers nationwide, mostly run by women, to reopen safely, by equipping 200 local stores and eateries with face shields, face masks and clear plastic store covers, as part of the Coke ReStart (Rebuilding Sari-Sari Stores Through Access to Resources and Trade) Program and the U.S. government’s Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) Initiative.