SPPI starts Piloting SE for Community-based Enterprises

Only this month, the SPPI test the Social Enterprise for Community-based Enterprises training in Rosario Northern Samar. The participants were the mudcrab farmers and members of the MCPAR a municipal wide organization in Rosario.

The objective of the training is to assess the mudcrab farmers if they are in the right track of the business and to motivate to work as a group and to transfer the skill in doing the sub-sector map as tool and guide in doing the business for them to locate other opporunities in doing mudcrab enterprise.

It was found out during the workshop that the income of the pond culture and fattening mudcrab farmers is higher than their expenses. It connotes that they need to strive more just to uplift their economic condition where mudcrab have big opportunities and potential just to earn more income.

Even your income is high but the net income cannot adress mostly the basic need of the households"Bisan pa dako an income an ginagawasan san iyo net income kasagaran san kada pamilya di gud nakakabaton san mga batakan nga panginahanglan" (quoted from the training)


The training conducted in two days HURRAY to SPPI training team and MCPAR mudcrab farmers.

Inspiring Story of LEDP partner, Cablangan

Since the start of the Local Economy Development Program (LEDP) in Brgy. Cablangan, Ericson Matias has been one of the active and excellent members of the Cablangan Livelihood Association Inc. (CLA Inc.).

He is one of the first members that have benefited the program of SPPI. The Livelihood Assistance Program or LCP has helped him a lot, especially in his daily needs. In this program he received loans amounting to Php. 10,000 pesos. He used his loans for his sari-sari store and the sustainability of his business he engage to hog fattening too.

Because of his good performance of paying his loans, he was recommended by the officers and members of CLA to avail the new program introduced by SPPI for entrepreneurial poor. Ericson is one of the good recipients of this program now, and a good payer too. For him, he has a stable income thanks to the program of SPPI.

As of now, he focused on the expansion of his business and the hog fattening and he plans to buy more pigs to be brought up, then build a wider pig pen. Because of his stable income, he already built his own house and sends to school his siblings.

According to him good dealings and handwork, and faith in God why he achieved all this in his life.

By Alma Saliente,
CDW, (Brgy. Cablangan, Mondragon, Northern Samar)

Kinis Trading Centre, Rosario

The Kinis Trading Centre is a non-profit trading enterprise for live mudcrabs in Rosario, Northern Samar owned and operated by Sentro Ha Pagpauswag ha Panginabuhi, Incorproated.

KTC works to develop the full agri-business potential of local agricultural development through the propagation of mudcrabs. It envisions further developing the mudcrab industry in the municipality and ultimately promotes the Municipality of Rosario to become the “kinis ” capital of Northern Samar by the year 2012.

We plan to offer a dynamic, unique and constantly evolving service to these farmers. Although, the enterprise is set to incorporate business practices and processes, our focus is on comprehensive social development. The enterprise will be directly supervised by the social enterprise specialists of SPPI whilst management will be facilitated through the guided capacities of the mudcrab farmers themselves.

Inspiring Story, Capul Island

"I am really convinced that farming will save us all from hunger," says 35 year old father of four, Ferdinand Magdaraog. He is a teacher by profession but farmer and part-time fisherman by choice. His love of growing and living off the land was reinforced when SPPI's Local Economy Development Program (LEDP) conducted a sustainable orientation activity in his barangay.

Ferdinand, or fondly known by friends and family as Nanding, attended the orientation on sustainable agriculture (SusAg). The SusAg sub-program of LEDP was promoting the FAITH program (Food Always in the Home), encouraging backyard gardening and vegetable production. Nanding explained his garden not just in his home, but land 200 meters away owned by his family otherwise unused.

He planted various fruit trees, bananas, palawan (a type of root crop grown in swamp areas), and a variety of root crops.

Two years later a family crisis arose, his wife, children and even himself became ill. Unable to get teaching work he was unemployed, had a sick family and a baby on the way; 2007 was the worst year of his life economically. Nanding told others in the community how if it was not for his small gardens his family would go hungry. He thanks SPPI for helping him realize the importance of gardens for food production.

By Teresa De Jesus Suan

Community Development Officer (CDW-Capul)
(May, 2009)