We are embarking on another livelihood activity here in Purok Bangkal that of selling dried "danggit".
The enterprising Tita Bading (or Tita Anz) will be marketing in Bacolod all the danggit we could buy from the fisher folk of Purok Bangkal. Again the sisters Annalisa (Banin) Bacalso and Alma Magdadaro are lending their effort at this income generating venture of IRC Sagay.
We will order the dried danggit from Banin and she will source the danggit and buy for us, besides supplying us with all the "danggit" her husband Marbin could catch and dry. These women are packing the "danggit" into 250 gram plastic bags and this is how we will retail the "danggit". I really do not have to overly sell the attractions of danggit and why it is a favorite of many. It is simply delicious in its fried state although I really should avoid eating too much of this piscine delight.
Later this afternoon when I go to Bacolod, Tita Bading and I will be delivering about 10 kilos of "danggit" to Ikthus. Hopefully we could do this on a regular basis and have a steady source of income for IRC Sagay besides providing livelihood for the fisherfolk of Purok Bangkal and maybe later, even beyond.
Selling "danggit" is all part of the IRC mission of "transformational community development" as we journey with the communtiy of Purok Bangkal. Only by the grace of God.
We are helping build another motorized fishing banca for fisherfolk in Purok Bangkal in partnership with Barangay Bulanon which was given a grant from DOLE (Dept. Of Labor). Five fishermen from Purok Bangkal are the intended beneficiaries of one motorized banca.
The DOLE grant that was coursed through Barangay Bulanon was for twenty motorized bancas for the fishermen who lost their livelihood after the super typhoon Yolanda wrecked her havoc here in Northern Negros.
The fishermen beneficiaries (five fishermen per mototrized banca) have to pay for the cost of labor in building the 30 foot motorized bancas as their counterpart which runs between P4,000.00 to P5,000.00. We are helping the fishermen beneficiaries of Purok Bangkal by shouldering the labor cost of building their motorized fisihing boat. This morning we contracted for the sawing of an ipil log for our boat's front and rear mainframe which we need.
The building of this fishing boat would mean a source of income for the five fishermen beneficiaries and their families. The boat carpenter helping us build this boat July Villacencio is also the local President of the IRC Farmers and Fisherfolk Assn. We also helped July rebuild his fishing boat with a grant from the Woodbridge Community Church of Irvine, California. Fishing is the main source of income for the residents of Purok Bangkal and IRC will continue to extend help in this area of livelihood. Because we live in this community we see more clearly the needs of Purok Bangkal and helping restore livehood is a priority for us in our mission of "transformational community development".
You too could be part of this endeavor. Partner with us in our efforts at bettering the lives of the people of Purok Bangkal. Help us make a difference and transform this community of farmers and fisherfolk. If you want to give to this cause or be a partner with us just PM me and we could discuss says on how you could help.
We are repacking laundry detergent into 100 and 50 gram bags for these women to sell so that we could buy Christmas gifts for the children.
IRC caretaker Banin Bacalso and her older sister Alma Magdadaro (who is the mother of IRC high school scholar Jayann) take charge of this project and will go house to house to sell the detergent to raise our Christmas fund.
We had our first customer this morning fisherman Edgardo Carambacan who does the laundry for his family of ten which he claims to be more challenging than fishing.
We would like to thank our IRC partner and friend based in Saudi Arabia who generously gave us 5 ten kilo bags of this Saudi made laundry detergent. In our product testing this detergent produced excellent cleaning results not to mention its fresh smelling fragrance which I am sure will win over many housewives here in Purok Bangkal. Partnership development is one of the five fold advocacies of IRC and it is because we have partners that help us in our mission of "transformational community development" our task is made easier.
We will continue to share the IRC vision to others and gain more partners..... only by the grace of God.
PS. If you want to be part of our efforts to transform this community please PM me. Be our vision partner and make a difference in the lives of the people of Purok Bangkal.
There is simply no other way to do "transformational community development" than for us to be present in the lives of the people here in Purok Bangkal.
IRC Sagay Administrator Antonia Uychiat-Cueva (Tita Bading or Tita Anz) shares her time with the children, serving them in the most simple way: by cutting hair. She is giving her time journeying with this community, seeing their needs and moving to meet those needs.
We have committed ourselves to the "transformation" of this community according to the five fold IRC advocacy: values formation; social entrepreneurship; education; health and partnership development. but then no matter what one does if there is no genuine love for the community our efforts would just be exercises in manipulation.
After all, "TCD" is a matter of the heart, a heart that the Lord has prepared before hand for this self-sacrificing effort at touching lives. Only by the grace of God are we able to love this community and it will only be by the same grace that we will be able to transform Purok Bangkal.
Here at Purok Bangkal we make sure we have time for the children now when are able...to lead and guide them..to teach them..even to play with them in our mission of "transformational community development".
The sound of children's laughter give us the reassurance that that indeed we labor for the children and it is the children that give us reason to hope. How can we not win this community and transform their lives when we are giving the children our time...when we talk with them..when we play with them ...even when we pray with them?
Transformation for this community will take place because of the children and to these children belong the future of Purok Bangkal. We simply have to love the children and we will transform this community.
Here in Purok Bangkal, we usually have our Family Prayer Time and Devotional every Wednesday night but for two weeks in a row now, we have done it Thursday night as I have been away on the last couple of Wednesdays when we were supposed to have it.
I came back to Purok Bangkal earlier this afternoon after having been away since last Saturday. I sorely missed my IRC family and as we gathered tonight in prayer, I let them know that I did. Again, I stressed that we are family and that we ought to love one another just as Jesus loves us.
Tita Bading had a surprise gift of T-shirts for all the IRC scholars which she gave out before we shared in a dinner of chicken tinola, spicy chicken feet (adidas) and grilled fish. We are truly bonding as a family here in Purok Bangkal and I love the children whom I look to as my own.
We are praying as a family for "transformational community development" in Purok Bangkal as we also pray for strength, courage and faith to take on the IRC vision of transformation into our lives. We will continue to pray.
