INTERN RESEARCHER REPORTS HER EXPERIENCE.

Tree Planting in Baquilan Resettlement Site in Botolan, Zambales

After visiting here, I felt that social development assistance such as providing goats, mango seedlings and training for organic mango growing is all integrated into long-term fair-trade work and it’s very good approach to sustainable self-development of farmers. Impressive things to me is that very steep mountain field marked off as individual arable land couldn’t be noticed by me at all and they do not rely on cultivating one type of cash crop.  .

 During interview with  Fr.Shay Cullen .

30 Aug. 2012(Thu)

The most interesting story was fair-trade product development. Father Shay are having his mind to create RUTF(ready-to-use therapeutic foods) which is one of therapeutic foods usually made of a mixture of protein, carbohydrate, lipid and vitamins and minerals. He mentioned that the possibility of RUTF made of various fruit and nuts produced in Philippines through fair trading. Compared to existing RUTF made in commercial company, fairtrade RUTF has prominent meaning for help poor children as well as poor farmers in developing country.

Mapora Aeta Community visit for delivering relief to typhoon victims.

Christian Aid sent relief to the victims of typhoon and Preda foundations played a role as a mediator to carry it to them and distribute it for each family. 200 families are given package of sugar, rice, a mat, biscuits, noodles, canned fish, a potable plastic basket etc. Also, in Casabaan village 60 families are given relief package.Preda team had a puppet show for children of community as well. It was great and warmhearted event as important as relief delivery, I think.   

 

 

Visit to  Aeta Indigenous community .

This was my first visit to Aeta community which has 9 mango farmers and Our Lady of Peace Foundation selling mangos to Profairtrade. Donald, fair-trade project manager, was in company with me and Woojung to visit here. 🙂 We interviewed with a head of Our Lady of Peace Foundation and a mango farmer, Fidel Clemente. ……………we realized fair-trade benefits indigenous poor farmers improving the quality of life. He said, his income from selling pico mangos to Preda is useful for his wife to check up the fetus’ condition in hospital.