EU launches Covid-19 recovery programme in Thailand

The two-year programme aims to boost the capacity and participation of Thai civil society organisations (CSOs) in mitigating the health, social and economic impact of the pandemic on the most vulnerable Thais.

The programme has three key components: immediate relief for households impacted by the outbreak; sustainable social and economic recovery by boosting livelihoods of affected communities; and building communities’ resilience to withstand future challenges.
“The Covid-19 pandemic will have profound consequences in the short, medium and long terms. These range from immediate health and humanitarian challenges to more profound structural socio-economic change, which cannot yet even be fully understood”, said Pirkka Tapiola, EU ambassador to Thailand. “It is clear that concerted efforts to deal with the fallout of the pandemic will be needed by all actors. As a long-standing development partner of the Kingdom of Thailand, the European Union is committed to supporting our CSO partners in their efforts to mitigate the consequences of the Covid-19 crisis, to ensure that no one is left behind.”
The programme’s nationwide project will be led by ActionAid Thailand in collaboration with the Chumchon Thai Foundation, the Foundation for Labour and Employment Promotion (HOMENET) and the BioThai Foundation. The intervention will cover almost 40 provinces and work with affected sectors including migrant and informal workers, marginalised populations and children.
Save the Children has joined with the Prince of Songkla University and alumni volunteers to spearhead the programme in the three southern border provinces, plus four districts in Songkhla. The project will work with most vulnerable households, youth groups and migrant returnees, with a focus on women.
“A lot of the poorest and most vulnerable families in Thailand are at risk and still struggling to get back on their feet,” added Prasert Tepanart, Save the Children’s National Director in Thailand. “We must ensure that these communities become resilient and that individuals are prepared and self-sufficient to withstand, mitigate and prevent the impact of future health, economic and social crises.”