In March 2020, the Philippines government announced the first month-long lockdown in Manila and its surrounding regions to curb COVID-19 transmission. The lockdown measures, including the closure of non-essential businesses and stay-home orders, were sudden and drastic, leading to the urban poor's loss of employment and income. Putting food on the table would become a challenge in a city with millions living below the poverty threshold. But while their hunger would not wait, a new relief law needed time to take effect. That was when the private sector took immediate action.
Responding to the hunger crisis was Project Ugnayan, a consortium including Ayala Corporation, one of the earliest conglomerates in the Philippines, together with some of the largest private companies and non-profit organisations such as The Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF) and Caritas Manila of the Catholic Church. In a record time of a few days, the private sector-led initiative raised over PhP 1.7 billion (US$33 million) that went into sponsoring a feeding programme for 2.8 million impoverished families (equivalent to some 14 million individuals). Over four weeks, Caritas Manila mobilised over 1,000 parish priests and 10,000 volunteers who went door-to-door distributing grocery vouchers, food packs, and in-kind donations in the Greater Manila Area.
As Project Ugnayan ended, the team reflected on the meaningful and impactful contribution the initiative had made to the lives of the vulnerable poor during the tumultuous times of the pandemic. What lessons could be drawn from this collaborative effort of the private sector that can be replicated for future initiatives?
The case provides opportunities for students to discuss the reasons organisations participate in social humanitarian initiatives, and the factors facilitating collaborations between competing organisations. They would also determine suitable organisation structures for humanitarian projects and analyse the success factors of these projects.
Inspection copies and teaching notes are available for university faculty. To receive an inspection copy and teaching note, please email cmpshop [at] smu.edu.sg with your registered faculty email ID and a link to your contact information on the faculty directory at your university as verification. An inspection copy and teaching note will then be sent to your faculty email account.
Download Information
SMU Faculty/Staff can download the case & teaching note on iNet with your SMU login ID & Password via the following links:
· Teaching Note (SMU-23-0014TN)
For purchase of the case and supplementary materials via The Case Centre, please access the following links:
For purchase of the case and supplementary materials via Harvard Business Publishing, please access the following links:
SMU Faculty/Staff can download the case & teaching note on iNet with your SMU login ID & Password via the following links:
· Teaching Note (SMU-23-0014TN)
For purchase of the case and supplementary materials via The Case Centre, please access the following links:
For purchase of the case and supplementary materials via Harvard Business Publishing, please access the following links:
(Please note you are purchasing the case only.)
Looking for something?
