SMEC recently handed over a cash donation to the Coalition of Services of the Elderly (COSE), a non-government organisation dedicated to older people’s health and well-being in the Philippines. The assistance will focus on improving access and conditions for abandoned, homeless older women in COSE’s group home in Bulacan, Central Luzon.
COSE’s group home in Bulacan is close to the ongoing Manila International Airport Land Development Project, where SMEC is providing construction management services in collaboration with parent firm Surbana Jurong.
Since it was founded in 1989, COSE has been working to uphold the rights of indigent, older people and promote recognition of the sector, while respecting cultural diversity, encouraging gender equality, and nurturing potential. Its group home concept is based on the idea of “aging in one’s own place”, where marginalised and elderly people continue to be part of, and contribute to, the community.
Formerly caring for 25 abandoned or neglected older women, decreased resources have led to capacity constraints in COSE’s Bulacan group home, which also needs to be repaired and repainted due to years of wear and tear.
Supporting poverty reduction by improving the conditions of socially and economically disadvantaged communities, the initiative aligns with SMEC’s corporate social responsibility program. Our donation will be used to purchase assistive devices (including crutches and wheelchairs) and replace furniture in the living area. It will also contribute to general maintenance.
Elderly women pictured at a deteriorated COSE Group Home facility in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan.
SMEC has been engaged to supervise civil works for upgrading the Central Cross Island Road (CCIR) in Samoa. The CCIR is one of the main economic arteries on Upolu Island and one of several key roads damaged when Tropical Cyclone Evan struck the Pacific Island nation in 2012. The project is being carried out in association with local sub-consultant MMSM Ltd for the Land Transport Authority (LTA) of Samoa and is funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The Uzbekistan Ministry of Water Resources has appointed SMEC as Project Implementation Consultant for the Climate Adaptative Water Resources Management project. The project will combine investment from the Republic of Uzbekistan government and the Asian Development Bank to improve climate resilience in the Aral Sea Basin.
The Baime Hydropower Project in Morobe Province in Papua New Guinea is scheduled for commissioning by March 2023. With total installed capacity of 11.6 MW, the plant will be able to produce 81 GWh of hydroelectric energy annually.
The Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (DWASA) has appointed SMEC in a Joint Venture with ACE Bangladesh and Development Design Consultants Ltd as Project Management Consultant for the Dhaka Sanitation Improvement project (DSIP).