On December 16, 2017, Tropical Storm Urduja (Kai-tak) made landfall in Eastern Samar and made its way through the central part of the Philippines, causing widespread casualties and damage to infrastructure and agriculture. Biliran province in the eastern Visayas region suffered damage of Php 760,000,000 and the entire region VIII suffered damage of Php 2,900,000,000 (NDRRMC, February 2018).
The project
The project started six months after the typhoon Urduja. MBC released three series of Livelihood training in Biliran, in collaboration with PhilRads. This consisted of a three-day Generate Your Business Idea training (GYB), a five-day Start Your Business training (SYB) for 150 participants from Brgy. Bato, Brgy. Busali, Brgy. San Isidro, Brgy. San Roque, Brgy. Burabod and Brgy. Sangalang.
In December 2018, the business plans of six group companies, one from each barangay, were evaluated and these companies were funded from the project. Each company consisted of 25 members and was supported by one local coach as an account manager. Partly to account for the grants administered by PhilRads. Donations were also given to members of these groups for their own individual business activities.
Community development
The GYB and SYB trainings resulted in a variety of businesses from rice processing to mini-grocery to selling rags made from ukay-ukay clothing. As one participant said, the trainings not only provided jobs or a source of income, but also the knowledge to create income, knowledge that no one could steal from her anymore. More importantly, these trainings also created an avenue for the beneficiaries to work together as a community. As one group call their company, “Nagkakaisang mamamayan para sa kinabukasan” (One community for the future).
If you want to see more details of the project : Click here!
