By integrating Food for the Hungry’s Resilience Framework into Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, organizations adopt a proactive, long-term approach that builds sustainability rather than relying on reactive crisis responses.

Rommel V. Fuerte, Asia Regional Director of the said Christian humanitarian aid and global development organization, explained that “By embedding risk-informed, adaptive, and systems-based thinking into all aspects of programming, the FH Resilience Framework ensures that interventions are not only responsive but also transformative.”

Ending the Cycle of Vulnerability

In Asia, Food for the Hungry (FH) operates against the backdrop of a complex web of risks and vulnerabilities stemming from its geography, climate, and socioeconomic conditions.

“Given this context, I recently visited one of our area programs in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh where in 2024, a shelter became home to 100 landless families living in a confined area,” said Fuerte while adding that despite its initial promise, the shelter quickly faced serious infrastructure challenges; most notably, the complete lack of toilet maintenance.

He said, “Over time, the sanitation facilities deteriorated to unsafe and unhygienic conditions, disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups such as women, girls, and the elderly. This situation exposed the community’s limited resilience to public health risks and underscored the urgent need for sustainable interventions.”

Responding to these challenges, Food for the Hungry Bangladesh took a proactive step to strengthen community resilience by installing two gender-sensitive Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Blocks. Each block includes three toilets and a bathing space, designed to restore dignity and safety to daily hygiene practices. To ensure nighttime accessibility and security, FH installed solar-powered lamp posts beside the blocks, reducing dependence on unreliable electricity. These facilities now serve approximately 250 people from 50 households, significantly improving their quality of life and reducing exposure to diseases.

Beyond infrastructure, Food for the Hungry’s intervention reinforced social resilience by constructing an overhead submersible pump and stairway to improve water access. More importantly, FH reported that it fostered community ownership and long-term sustainability by forming a Community Development Committee (CDC) comprised of diverse members, including elites, youth, religious leaders, and women. The CDC actively participates in beneficiary selection, program implementation, and monitoring.

Rommel V. Fuerte highlighted that “This inclusive governance model empowers the community to manage its own development and adapt to future challenges, reflecting a broader shift toward participatory resilience-building in vulnerable regions across Asia, which contributes to ending the cycle of vulnerability.”

Embracing Resilience Framework Core Principles

Food for the Hungry adapts its Resilience Framework across Asian countries, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, to respond effectively to each community’s specific context and needs.

• In Bangladesh, FH empowers communities through Productive Learning, i.e., Smart Start, Physical and Mental Wellbeing, i.e., Integrated Community Nutrition and Asset Creation, i.e., Savings to Invest and Flourish, with a strong focus on building resilience in flood-prone areas by promoting hygiene and supporting sustainable livelihoods.
• In Cambodia, where poverty is deeply rooted, FH engages multiple stakeholders from grassroots organizations to national institutions to address systemic challenges. Its interventions in this context emphasize asset creation, i.e., Farming Nature’s Way, Productive Learning, i.e., Let’s Learn Read, and physical and mental wellbeing, i.e., WASH is cultivating local leadership in all interventions.
• In Indonesia, FH works with disaster-prone communities by integrating climate adaptation strategies, strengthening local governance, and fostering inclusive economic opportunities, ensuring that communities are not only prepared for natural hazards but also equipped for long-term stability to flourish in productive learning, asset creation, and physical and mental wellbeing.
• In the Philippines, FH partners with local organizations to address both urban and rural poverty through interventions in productive learning, i.e., Teaching at the Right Level, Physical and Mental Wellbeing, i.e., Adolescent Responsive Socio-Ecological Model and Asset Creation, i.e., Farming for value, while also incorporating disaster risk reduction.

“A defining feature of the FH Resilience Framework is its emphasis on collaboration with private sector foundations and Corporate Social Responsibility programs. The framework offers a strategic blueprint for businesses to move beyond short-term, transactional philanthropy toward co-creating sustainable, community-driven solutions,” said Rommel V. Fuerte.

Furthermore, he shared that “By aligning with Food for the Hungry’s systems-based approach, CSR initiatives can effectively address the root causes of poverty, marginalization, and injustice. This includes co-investing in inclusive economic models such as savings to invest and flourish, supporting infrastructure and productive learning initiatives led by communities, engaging in data-driven impact measurement and adaptive learning, and participating in policy advocacy and cross-sector platforms.”

In effect, the Food for the Hungry Resilience Framework not only strengthens the capacity of communities to thrive but also fosters meaningful partnerships between humanitarian organizations and the private sector, ensuring that resilience becomes a shared and sustained responsibility.

Achieving Multidimensional and Deeply Transformative Success

For Rommel V. Fuerte, success, when viewed through the lens of the Food for the Hungry Resilience Framework and its collaborative approach with private sector foundations and CSR initiatives, is multidimensional and deeply transformative.

He described that for all stakeholders involved, such as local governments, humanitarian organizations, corporate partners, and community shareholders, success means forging authentic partnerships that move beyond short-term aid to co-create sustainable, community-driven solutions. It reflects a shared commitment to addressing the root causes of poverty, marginalization, and injustice through inclusive economic models, adaptive programming, and systems-level change.

For the communities, Fuerte further elaborated that success is not merely surviving adversity but flourishing in every aspect of life. It means having access to quality education, healthcare, and livelihood opportunities; participating actively in decision-making; and living with dignity, hope, and resilience.

Fuerte specified that “Ultimately, success is measured not just by improved indicators, but by the empowerment of communities to shape their own futures and the transformation of institutions towards resilient and flourishing families and communities.”

Contributing to a Life-Saving Mission

Following the devastating 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Northern Cebu on September 30, 2025, thousands of families have been displaced, left without shelter, food, or access to basic services. Food for the Hungry is actively responding to this crisis, working alongside local partners to deliver emergency relief and long-term support to affected communities.

Be part of this life-saving mission. Whether you’re an individual, a business, or a foundation, there are meaningful ways to get involved:

• Donate: Every contribution helps deliver critical aid and rebuild resilient communities.
• Partner: CSR programs and private sector foundations can co-invest in sustainable recovery and long-term development.
• Advocate: Raise awareness in your networks and support policy efforts that prioritize disaster resilience.
• Volunteer or Collaborate: Share your expertise, time, or resources to strengthen FH’s impact on the ground.

Together, we can transform this tragedy into an opportunity for renewal. Visit Food for the Hungry Philippines | Facebook to learn more, donate, or explore partnership opportunities.