MARCH 2023/ UPI, MAGUINDANAO-BARMM. Coming from uphill village of Brgy. Romongob, Upi, Maguindanao, these group of women who belong to the indigenous people (IP) sector get together regularly to plant a seed of hope towards better life for their families.
They are organized through the project SUBATRA-ECSO: Enhancing CSOs Capacities for Inclusive Development Intervention in BARMM in Support to Bangsamoro Transition, in desire to help improve their access to basic services wherein they were provided with skills training on vegetable production, a potential livelihood for local economic development, and is suitable with the good soil and weather condition in the area.
Bellalyn Dalimbang, 36, is a mother to two children. Her husband works as security guard in a local hospital while she, does planting with some farm animals.
Rebecca Arig, is a widow providing solely for her children. Perlita Dominggo provides for her two children who are both schooling. Erma Labaydaga, 54, has two children studying in college. Liezel Sariguit has the same story prioritizing the education of their kids.
All of them have the same vision for their children to finish studies. They hope that there will be available educational assistance because according to them, it is really hard to provide for the school fees.
“We really hope for support like scholarship. Usually, we can afford their education from elementary to secondary, but it is really hard when they reach college because there are many fees to settle which is hard for us”, these mothers stated.
In joining their group for this project, all have the same response that is in hope to get support for better life, especially for the education of their children.
“We are poor, life is difficult. We really hope that our children will complete their studies because that is their chance to better future”, they said.
These women group are thankful for being part of the project, wherein they are continuously learning new techniques in planting, where they get source of income for their families.
Some of them are coming from remotest part of the village, walking three- hours to reach their vegetable production site in Sitio Kulati of Romongaob.
“It is hard but we are willing to sacrifice and be patient in hope that we will soon reap the fruits of this labor”, the IP women remarked.
Under the SUBATRA-ECSO Project, vulnerable groups such as women and IPs are prioritized to receive assistance. One of this is the support on skills training from which they are provided with necessary capacity building relevant towards social enterprise development.
For the group in Brgy. Romongaob, beneficiaries underwent training on vegetable production with the Magungaya United Farmers Association, Inc. as service provider and resource person.
Overall, there are six IP communities covered by the project. In Romongaob, 90% of the eighty identified beneficiaries are Teduray.
SUBATRA-ECSO is funded by the European Union and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation.
