An Inspiring Story

KAPUKAW in Brgy. 13, Salcedo Eastern Samar is a community-based people's organization. It was registered on April 27, 2005, through the assistance of the Local Economy Development Program (LEDP).

The Organization embodies LEDP's bias for the poorest of the poor (PoP) in the community Out of the 66 households in the barangay, 45 POP households have availed of Livelihood Assistance Program of the organization.

According to the members, this program has helped them in many ways. The program has reached a collection of eleven thousand to thirty-six thousand (PhP11,000 -36,000) pesos per week which is then released as new or repeat loans to members. The maximum loanable amount of the members reaches to up to 13,000 pesos per week.

Aside from the Livelihood Assistance Program, the organization has a Savings Mobilization program which aims to encourage a culture of savings. They also have a Sustainable Agriculture program which promotes organic farming.

There organization would not be successful without the active and strict officers. The cooperation of the members also has a valuable contribution why the organization had succeeded.

The KAPUKAW has plans that they would want to pursue. Their priority is to establish a center house which will likewise serve as an office.

Inspiring Story for February
submitted by Ms. Alma Saliente
Community Development Worker
Eastern Samar

Seaweed Farming

SPPI, through the assistance of the Regional and Provincial Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), re-established its seaweeds seedlings nursery in 2009. The first nursery was damaged by a typhoon.

The experience with the first nursery put the office in a lot of stress because of the human and environmental problems and constraints it faced. Despite the not so good experience, however, the nursery managers and SPPI’s technical officer for seaweeds pursued with the program because it showed a very promising social and economic returns on investment.

Their perseverance is now being rewarded! Despite all the threats of bad weather conditions, the nursery established in 2009 has survived and is now supplying seedlings to other seaweed farmers.

What this experience taught us is a valuable lesson of proper care and maintenance of the nursery as well as the correct site selection.

Currently, 10 farmers have planted seaweeds. Immediately, twenty (20) more are waiting for their turns to plant. We need farm capital of sixteen thousand pesos (P16,000.00) or three hundred fifty-five US dollars (US$355) to support each farmer or a total investment of seven thousand one hundred eleven dollars (US $7,111.00)

This amount will help 20 seaweed-farming households increase their income from three thousand pesos (Php3,000.00) per month to eight thousand pesos (Php8,000.00) or an increase in their monthly income of 160%.

We hope readers of this blog take an interest in finding out more about our seaweed farming activities and will find the generosity to help the seaweed farmers. Thank you.

BOUNTIFUL 2010 TO ALL

I received a text message today. It said " For 2010, 'as long as you are trying your very best, there can be no question of failure.' (m. gandhi) I wish you more fulfilling days!"

In SPPI we see to it that all of us try our very best. We desire the success of our local economy development program. May we find the funds to support all our endeavors.

SPPI wishes that all our good intentions bear fruit. We wish all of you more productive days! Here is a bountiful 2010 to all of us.

SPPI's Community Development Work 2.2 years after

SPPI believes that strong community organizations are the collective capacity of the people who create their own development goals and guarantee the sustainability of the project.

The Local Economy Development Program of SPPI (from January 2008 to June 2009) has been operating in three (3) provinces of Samar Island: sixty (60) barangays, eight (8) municipalities (Northern Samar - 21, Eastern Samar - 25, and Western Samar- 14).

4.1.1 Table below shows coverage of livelihood associations in LEDP.

Table 1 – Organizational Data

MUNICIPALITY (Number of Barangays/Federation)	Total House holds	Households Covered	Total PoP	PoP covered	Percentage of PoP coverage
CAPUL (5 +1)	988	351	851	204	24%
ROSARIO (8 +1)	1468	392	945	340	36%
MONDRAGON (5)	1286	186	685	186	27%
SAN ROQUE (3)	603	144	448	92	21%
DARAM (14+1)	1262	334	1151	236	21%
SALCEDO (6 +2)	459	222	230	187	81%
MERCEDES (12 +3)	923	294	708	257	36%
GUIUAN (7+1)	726	461	606	390	64%
(60/8) TOTAL	7715	2384	4624	1892	41%

Table 1 shows the organizing data in all municipalities covered by the LED program. The figures in parenthesis show the number of barangays and municipal federation in the area.

There are currently two (2) municipal sectoral livelihood associations in Northern Samar; the Mud Crab Producers Association of Rosario (MCPAR) and the Seaweeds Farmers’ Association of Capul (SFAC). There is one (1) sectoral livelihood association in Eastern Samar; the Mercedes Association of Persons with Disabilities (MAPD).

Upscaling the livelihood associations has resulted to four (4) municipal or inter-barangay federations of livelihood associations, two (2) inter-municipal federations (headed by councils); one (1) each in Eastern and Northern Samar.

There are two (2) province-based sustainable agriculture farmers associations, one (1) in Eastern Samar and the other, in Northern Samar; one (1) municipal-based association in Daram, Western Samar and one (1) island-wide federation organizing council.

There is one (1) municipal women’s association in Eastern Samar – the Kusog han Kababayen – an ha Salcedo.

4.1.2 There is a relatively broad participation in the leadership bodies of the livelihood associations.

Table 2 – Officers and Committees

Program Areas	Total Membership	Officers & Committee Members
		Total	Male	Female
1. Northern Samar	1716	246	53	193
2. Eastern Samar	1034	279	60	219
3. Western Samar	752	119	81	38
LEDP Total	3502	644	194	450
		100%	30.12%	69.88%

4.1.3 Periodic trainings were (and still are) conducted which deals with:

· Resolving problems faced by the respective organizations;

· Cultivating the right attitudes and values among leaders and members related to the resolution of said problems; and

· Developing skills in facilitating meetings and decision-making within the organization.

4.1.4 Local (community) part-time volunteers were enlisted in area clusters, from among the leaders, to take on some tasks in assisting the livelihood associations.

Table 3 – Local Volunteers

MUNICIPALITY	MALE	FEMALE	TOTAL
Capul	5	5	10
Rosario	3	5	8
Mondragon	0	6	6
San Roque	0	0	0
Daram	4	5	9
Salcedo	1	9	10
Meredes	1	8	9
Guiuan	1	7	8
Total	15	45	60

Table 3 shows gender segregated data for local volunteers.

Local volunteers’ mobilization also serves as training for leaders to take on tasks in community development work; in providing assistance to the associations at the barangay level. They perform financial audit of LCP operations (formed into area cluster audit teams) and assists PO’s in resolving organizational and program-related problems.

4.1.5 Focus for the period was on strengthening the associations, and resolving problems such as failures in leadership of the associations and problems in LCP management.

Table 4 - Capability Building Activities Conducted

The following are the capability building activities conducted by the organization which aimed at sustaining the implementation of the program:

Capability Building Activities	Purpose/s
Organizational Meetings (Regular and Special)	Served as venues for the organization to discuss problems, issues and concerns. The parliamentary procedure is practiced during meetings.
Annual General Assembly	Discussion sessions for annual accomplishment reports and financial statements as well as other concerns like past dues, overdues, issuance of promissory notes, and barangay mediations.
Leadership Training	Empowered the officers and members of their roles and obligations in the organization and in the community.
Gender Sensitivity Orientation	Enhanced appreciation of gender issues and development concerns.
Gender and Development Planning	Provided skills and raise knowledge on gender planning.
Savings Mobilization Orientation	Provided knowledge on proper recording and budgeting.
Barangay Development Planning thru Participatory Resource Appraisal (BDP-PRA)	Reinforced community processes that involve community people from decision-making, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
Financial Literacy Training	Imparted skills on finance management to members of the livelihood associations.
Massage Therapy Training	Provided acupressure skills which can be an alternative source of income.
LEDP Conference	Shared best practices of the people’s organization covered by the program in the Samar island.
Social Enterprise for Grassroots Training	Assisted the community organizations in determining the feasibility of their planned social enterprises.
Agrarian Reform Orientation	Provided answers to people’s questions on land ownership.
Contour Farming (on-farm Coaching)	Advocated for sustainable agriculture practices.

Blog Action Day: Climate Change

Blog Action Day: Climate Change seems like the perfect day to talk about one of our sustainable enterprises, seaweed. Seaweed is a vital part of the marine ecosystem, along with mangroves and coral reefs and has an economic and environmental value to the community.

The Philippines is one of the top producers of seaweeds in the world, specifically the red seaweeds - next to China and Japan. Seaweeds are exported either in raw forms (fresh or dried seaweeds) or processed forms (semi-refined chips/carrageenan and refined carrageenan).

We currently have several seaweed nurseries around the island of Capul, Northern Samar, which exports seaweed in its raw forms. Through the development of alternative livelihoods for small-scale fishermen household incomes are given a boost and it helps reduce fishing pressure on over-exploited coastal communities. Plus the seaweed also absorbs damaging carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Our enterprise has had its ups and downs, including severe typhoon damage earlier this year, but the nursery is now replenished and is due to be harvested at the end of next month.

To find out more about our environmentally-focused enterprises, visit our website.

The Mud Crab (Kinis) Festival, Rosario, October 5

The Kinis Festival is an event held to showcase Rosario as ‘the Kinis (mud crab) Capital of Northern Samar’. Nortehanons are encouraged to join this exciting and entertaining celebration.

The Festival will be a full-day event commencing 8am Monday, October 5, 2009. Previous years have been a marketplace for traders only, this year we are expanding the program to include cultural performances, Kinis Competitions, a marketplace of local dishes and hand crafts and mangrove replanting.

The event is jointly hosted by the Municipality of Rosario and local NGO, Sentro ha Pagpauswag ha Panginabuhi (SPPI). SPPI supports the local economy through livelihood and enterprise development in sustainable agriculture and coastal resource management. The event is also supported by the local mud crab farmers of the Mangrove Crab Producer Association of Rosario (MCPAR) who are generously donating their product for various Kinis Festival events. Event details and programme will be posted on this blog closer to the event.


If you wish to sponsor and become involved, please email Rowe Acibar our Enterprise Program Specialist, at rowe_acibar22@yahoo.com

Welcome to SPPI

SPPI is two years old on 17 September 2009; and like any two year olds, it is still in its formative years. Although we can say it is growing pretty sensibly, it needs to solidify its foundation for growth.

In the process, SPPI has implemented its Local Economy Development Program (LEDP) on a phased manner, assessed the relevance of its vision, its mission, and its five pillars for local economy development.

In the midst of SPPI assessment and re-design is the timely transfer of our office; timely because this spells, for us, a fresh start. SPPI now has a new logo, a new brochure, even a revised mission statement.

And, SPPI’s new address is:

Sentro ha Pagpauswag ha Panginabuhi, Inc.
(SPPI or Center for Local Economy Dvelopment)
San Roque St., Brgy Cawayan
Catarman 6400 Northern Samar

The building is hard to miss as it has the SPPI logo-in bold, huge letters-proudly displayed along its side. Look for the red gate then allow us to say, WELCOME TO SPPI!

Be careful not to bump your head on the way up, though, if you are over 5’2” in height : }