This April we visited the Dumagat community of Tanay, Rizal in the Philippines. Traditionally living on the sea the community had to adapt to their new life on the land. Having learned the basics of farming (mainly sweet potatoes and bananas) the community still struggles to ensure a stable and predictable supply of food, so we decided to help the community by raising funds, and cultivate the land. Since our time was limited, we put a lot of effort in strategy and planning, involving local NGO expert Taktika Multimedia. The founder Joie offered us her free help. With her being not only proficient in charity projects but also having prior experience with the community, we could ensure a meaningful project. The focus was sustainability (bringing several hundred seeds and solar powered lights, with the support of Liter of Light), but we also did not wont to come empty handed. Having bought 15 kilograms of protein rich food that is easy to store it was quite a walk to reach the settlement, not to speak of the 10 rivers we needed to cross. The fundraising was more successful than expected, leaving us with funds to buy a goat for the community. She was still young and feeding on her mother, but should be with the tribe by now. Hopefully, before September we can follow up, and see grown plants, and well fed happy children.
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May 2017
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