(March 7, 2024.) In the last quarter of 2022, BDA Inc. together with partner service providers trained women groups across BARMM on various skills trainings based on the livelihood activity identified per community-recipient of the project SUBATRA-ECSO.
This livelihood support came with a full package of complete materials and facility relevant to the chosen enterprise of each group.
In Tawi-Tawi, two women groups from Brgy. Pasiagan in Bongao and Brgy. Malacca in Panglima Sugala learned about processing of native delicacies.
“We want to introduce these native delicacies, especially now that the province of Tawi-Tawi is receiving more tourists where we can sell and generate income helpful for our families”, the women told.
According to them, the process is known to some senior members of the community but they wanted to learn more especially for the young generation to promote and preserve these traditional dishes such as lara-lara (sili-sili), batang buruk, jintan, panyam, panganan, bawlo, hantak/kukus, doughnut-doughnut, jah, tapa-tapa and tok-ki.
Women group in Brgy. Kailih, Al-Barka, Basilan has chosen the training on cassava processing. For them, cassava has been part of their history and life as people in this part of Bangsamoro Region.
For them, it was amazing to know that aside from puto, there are wide variety of products they can make from cassava.
They learned to make cakes, cassava chips, balls, others.
Aside from the skills to produce various products from cassava, they also learned to start their business, where they get additional income that is helpful to support their families.
“We are thankful for the assistance you provided to us. We are grateful for the attention and concern for us, women in this remote area”, the Kailih women said.
In Lanao province, the mothers who are usually full-time housewives are happy that they were able to earn money from producing and selling palapa (a spicy condiment/side-dish common to M’ranao in Lanao province)
“We are earning now, even though in little amount, it is already a big thing for us especially for our kids at school, and for few expenses at home. We learned to produce palapa in various flavors”, they stated.
Meanwhile, in the Special Geographical Areas (SGA) of BARMM, the women recipients of the project speaks that their time together, as women becomes more significant as they gather in producing various products from banana through the skills they learned from the livelihood training provided to them.
Women organization in the indigenous people (IP) community in Maguindanao was emotional and motivated to sustain the learning related to vegetable production.
“Thank you, BDA, for the unending support and encouragement, for us to learn vegetable production. Even beyond this project, the knowledge you taught us will remain useful for us, thank you very much”, IP women expressed.
From Sulu province, the women group is glad for the support from the Bangsamoro Government through local networks.
The Timbangan PO in Indanan has been among the local organizations tapped as exhibitors during the NiyoGosyo Fair in Decemer 2023 by the MTIT-BARMM, together with other women groups supported by SUBATRA-ECSO, specifically those that produce from coconut and banana.
Under the project, 63% of the 4, 860 overall total of beneficiaries are women.
SUBATRA-ECSO is implemented by the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA Inc.) with partner CSOs in the region.
It is funded by the European Union and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation. (from BDA Annual Report 2023)
