They have done Demo Farms, Children's Playgrounds, Communal Gardens, Compost Pits, Earth Canals, Road Patching, Pathways, Fencing of Schools, Nursery Houses, Landscaping, Warehouses, Water Pipelines, and other such things all over several barangays in the Yolanda stricken areas of Samar and Leyte. That, is the CFW or 'Cash For Work Program'.
Today we chanced upon a payout time in Burauen, Leyte! Cash-For-Work activities in the area is over and done, so, volunteers have to 'claim' their remuneration!
This is/was executed by by Plan International funded under the ADB JFPR Grant 9175.
Not a simple activity though. Beneficiaries trooped to the Palawan Pawnshop branch in Burauen to personally receive payment. It being a small branch, and the beneficiaries, all hundreds of them coming altogether, needed some kind of "crowd management" of sorts. But the Plan Int'l CDFs (Community Development Facilitators) were on hand to put everything in order.
And it was actually fun where everyone was teasing everyone - a time to banter with neighbors and friends while queuing up!
Some were early, some were late - but they had the same reason - having had to still go somewhere else and also que up to receive their ESA (Emergency Shelter Assistance) that were also distributed today in Burauen. Hmm, didn't today rain with money in Burauen?!
Daring to banter with this writer, some of these beneficiaries revealed interesting facets about their CFW experience.
Like? Like it was fun working with their neighbors, on something that they in the community themselves would benefit from! One said, they actually know this was dole-out to alleviate their condition brought about by Yolanda, but they felt braver and shameless to receive the amount, as they know they have worked for it, one way or the other.
One response from a beneficiary was particularly strikingly encouraging when he said "di bale sir, kay sunod mahitabo ini ha iba nga lugar, bangin kami naman makabulig ha ira, bisan nala pag-tutdo aanhon an pag-burublig pag-gios ha pag-bangon tikang ha kakurian" (sir, next time this [calamity] happens in other places, we might be able to help them [victims], even if just to teach how everyone should cooperate towards rising from their hardship).
Two 'credit ladies' (loansharks?) were seen milling around with the beneficiaries armed with notebooks and pens! Prompt and punctual ladies hehe - they were there to immediately claim payments from beneficiaries who borrowed money from them. But they are good friends with virtually everyone around, and joined in the banter. Asked what these beneficiaries borrowed money from them for, one of the 2 ladies shared that the 'very usual' reason was: farmers borrowed money from her to buy livestock to grow. Useful naman pala!
What a heartwarming day!
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