Google donates P15-M to PH’s UNICEF for Covid-19 response

MANILA – Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, on Thursday said it will allocate USD300,000 (PHP15 million) to United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) in the Philippines to fund its efforts to alleviate the pandemic woes.

The tech company said the amount is part of the USD1.5 million it granted to UNICEF in other Asian countries including Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Pakistan to support urgent Covid-19 response needs.

In a statement, the UNICEF-Philippines said they will use the grant to train health workers in infection prevention and control, distribute hygiene and disinfection kits, support continued learning of children, and increase access to medical, legal, psychological and social services for children and women survivors.

“UNICEF will also continue to support governments and communities to control the spread of the virus and minimize morbidity and mortality, including by enhancing preparedness for possible future waves of Covid-19,” the statement read.

Bernadette Nacario, country director of Google Philippines, said the pressure on the country’s healthcare system due to new variants spreading in the country has deepened their motivation to extend support.

“We’ll also continue to focus on ensuring timely access to information, as well as tools for all Filipinos to stay informed, connected, and safe during this crisis,” she said.

Karin Hulshof, regional director of UNICEF in East Asia and the Pacific, expressed her gratitude citing global response as the only means to protect communities.

“We will continue working with our partners and lean on them for their expertise, innovative solutions, and flexible funding to help minimize the impact in the region and beyond,” Hulshof said.

Google.org will also provide USD5 million worth of Ad Grants to local government agencies and organizations across Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, to run public health information campaigns for free.

Since last year, Google has provided over USD27 million in Ad Grants to support local governments including the World Health Organization who served over 343 million public service announcements (PSAs) to reach audiences with messages on how to stay safe and facts about vaccines.

At the onset of the pandemic, Google.org funded vaccine distributions in Asia and across the world through Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

Google also focuses its efforts on removing harmful content from its platforms and ensuring that relevant and authoritative information serves everyone in the Philippines through its product updates such as information panels on Search and YouTube, campaigns like Get The Facts, and industry initiatives including the Department of Health’s #CheckTheFAQs.