Guiuan Mayor Speaks at the 2017 ADB Annual Meeting in Japan

Please click this link to go to the original (source article) at the ADB website:
Building Prosperity in a Changing Asia and the Pacific—Future Role of the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction | Asian Development Bank:




Seminar Summary

For 17 years, the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR) has uniquely contributed to poverty reduction and socioeconomic development through project grants and technical assistance. The Government of Japan has contributed $788 million for almost 400 projects in 32 ADB developing member countries (DMCs). The seminar shared how JFPR helped the most vulnerable groups living in poverty, and discussed the fund’s future direction.

In his opening, Masashi Tanabe highlighted 3 key features of JFPR: targeting underserved and the most vulnerable people; support for a wide range of sectors and themes; and great emphasis on innovative and catalytic approaches. A presentation of results from the ongoing JFPR evaluation highlighted two additional features: community-centered approaches, and complementarity with ADB loans.

A panel—comprising representatives from academia, local government, civil society, and a project implementing agency—emphasized JFPR’s direct, lasting support to people as its unique strength and comparative advantage. Examples discussed included the restoration of livelihoods to Filipino people affected by the devastation of Typhoon Haiyan. In Mongolia, JFPR was instrumental in creating an innovative Medicard program that ensured free health services and medicines for the poorest and most vulnerable during the financial crisis, in addition to securing nutrition through a food stamp program. In Bhutan JFPR helped establish effective partnerships between government, NGOs, and private sector to empower vulnerable women and girls.

The panel concluded that JFPR remains as relevant as ever for tackling current and emerging development challenges, recommending a focus on resilience, climate change, and aging society, in the context of transition to middle income country status. Scalability of innovative approaches should be further entrenched by securing government ownership, integration with national programs, partnering with donors, and systematic attention to dovetailing JFPR with other ADB operations. There is a wealth of knowledge that can be systematically harvested from JFPR operations and shared across DMCs.

'via Blog this'

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Investing in skills FOR youth

By Karen Joy Alcober, Communication Officer, Plan Int'l

“When I graduated high school in 2015, I knew I wouldn’t enter college because my mother could not afford to put me in school. I applied for a scholarship but I did not pass the exam,”
shares Victor, 19, from Samar.

Victor’s family could not afford to support his education. They lost their livelihood after Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. Unable to enter college, he tried to look for a job to support his brothers' and sisters’ education. But with no work experience and a high school diploma, he knew it would be difficult for him to find a decent work.

Victor’s story is the story of thousands of youth in the disaster-affected region and thousands more across the country.

untapped ASSET
According to the 2016 Labor Force Survey, the national unemployment rate is estimated at 6.1%. Of the total unemployed, half are from the age group 15 to 24 years old. Government data also shows that majority of the unemployed youth have not reached college.

It’s a challenge for disadvantaged youth to find decent work as many employers seek college graduates.

There is also a growing mismatch in the supply of graduates and the demand for skills. Many training courses are not linked to in-demand apprenticeship opportunities, resulting to trainees having lesser chances of employment. According to government data, only 10 out of 1,000 applicants are hired because they do not have the skills needed in the market.

A recent market study in Eastern Visayas commissioned by Asian Development Bank’s Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction shows also that high unemployment remains among youth coming from poor households.

Youth employment through skills based training
To address youth unemployment, Plan International works closely with the government through its Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to promote economic empowerment of the youth and communities in difficult situations and ensure their financial stability and security when crisis strikes.

In partnership with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and various funding partners, Plan International facilitated the training of more than 3,000 youth on welding, housekeeping, food and beverage servicing, food processing, computer hardware servicing, carpentry, electrical installation and maintenance, automotive and small engines servicing, and other in-demand skills. On top of that, all youth beneficiaries also received life skills trainings on financial literacy, digital literacy, family planning, safe migration, and disability inclusion awareness to enhance their employability.

Through this initiative, Victor has found employment as a mechanic.

“When I graduated high school in 2015, I never imagined I’d find myself a job a year after,” says Victor, who received training on Automotive Servicing and passed the national certification.

His training was funded by the government of Japan through the Asian Development Bank’s Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction.

Victor’s story of finding decent work through TVET is considered a success, but many are not as fortunate as him.

Second class citizens?
“In the Philippines, TVET graduates are considered as second class citizens. Our society gives higher value to degree holders,” says Cleta Omega, regional director of TESDA in Eastern Visayas.

“We must change this. There must be a paradigm shift,” she adds.

According to Ms. Omega, there is still limited awareness and appreciation of the real value of technical skills education. Many youth still think that TVET is not a legitimate track to take, while some employers are hesitant to employ TVET graduates. Even youth with national certification for their skills still have difficulty finding decent work.

In a conference with the business sector last September, Plan International and TESDA officials talked to attendees about the stigma on TVET and called for a change of mind.

“There should be more investments in corporate citizenship, including partnership with civil society and close collaboration with government agencies working on the supply side to address employment issues moving forward,” says Peter Bellen, Plan International Asia’s Youth Employment Solutions Advisor.

“Companies and business groups should also look into unemployed youth as potential customers and clients. The youth will comprise the majority of consumers in the next 10-20 years, and if these unemployed youth get into decent wage or self-employment, they will have the resources to purchase goods and services,” he continues.

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Fishing net secures children's education

Fishing net secures children's education Every day, parents toil to secure their children's education and future. In a coastal community in Tanauan, a father leaves his family before dusk to go to the sea to fish; while, his wife repairs their remaining fishing net and attends to their children's needs. A little after sunrise the next day, he returns to shore to sell his catch of the day. He then returns home to his eager family, bringing with him his hard earned money for the day only to leave again a few hours later to fish again. This is what every day looks like for Michael Abalos, father of five. On a good day, he would return from sea with up to 15 kilos of fish, earning barely enough. But, when the waves are strong and the weather is not fine, he refrains from going to sea making it hard for Michael to earn for a living. Fishing is what he knows best, but he admits he was afraid to return to sea after Typhoon Haiyan washed away their home, fishing nets and fishing gears, leaving his family homeless and him without a livelihood. “But I had to be brave. I had to go back to the sea after the storm. Fishing is the only livelihood I know,” Michael, 34, shares. Months after Haiyan, he went back to fishing, trying to recover what he lost. Because he lost his own fishing net during the typhoon, he went fishing with a relative who still had nets to use. Their income from each catch sold at Php120 per kilo, but they had to subtract the expenses then divide the remaining amount among themselves, leaving him with barely enough for his family. With his two kids already in elementary school, those were very hard times for his family. So when Michael received his own fishing net through the grant given by the government of Japan through Asian Development Bank’s Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction to the Philippine government in January 2016, he knew that these were exactly what he needed. “The fishing nets are very helpful. Without them, I would still go fishing with others as a hired hand on their trips,” he shares. And a few months since then, Michael has begun to recover what he lost. His income increased. “Now that I have my own fishing nets, I don't have to share my earnings with anyone. I earn more for my family,” he continues. Fisherfolks come and sell their catch along the shoreline of Bislig, Tanauan. Aware that a fishing net only lasts for a couple of months, his wife Winifreda, 32, has begun weaving a new one. "Using the savings from having our own fishing net, we bought materials for a new one. Little by little, I am weaving one so by the time our current fishing net needs to be replaced, we have one ready," she continues. Fishing nets are invaluable for fisher folks like Michael and Winifreda. “Without fishing gears and nets, our livelihoods will be disrupted again.” Through the grant, Michael and the other fisher folks from his community also received basic Coastal Resources Management training facilitated by the Municipal Agriculturist Office of Tanauan in partnership with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. The training aimed to teach fisher folks how to better protect coastal resources while securing sustainable livelihood. Only able to reach high school, Michael wishes for his children to finish theirs. “Because of the support we received, my wife and I are able to provide for our family’s needs and are able to send our children to school. I want them to finish their education,” he shares. Through the fishing nets, he did not only recover what was lost--his livelihood--but more importantly, he gained so much more. He secured his children's education.

Should you have any suggestions and stories to share, feel free to contact Karen.Alcober@plan-international.org

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Micro-Business By Helping Mother Earth!

Yes, there is such a thing!

SMUPA means “San Miguel Unity to Progress Association”. They are a group of farmers in Barangay San Miguel, Balangiga Eastern Samar - now a fledgling business startup with very high potential of making it to successes beyond their imaginations, if accorded more expert guidance, and hopefully more help from all of us, we happy earthlings!

SMUPA officers & members pose for a souvenir photo with visitors Dindo Mengote-ADB JFPR Consultant, Aya Yamagata - Plan International Japan and Justine Turner - Plan International Canada

How did this happen?

They started as a Cash For Work (CFW) group in August 2015, organized by Plan International (Plan) with funding from ADB JFPR Grant 9175. This program was activated, instead of Plan-ADB/JFPR just automatically giving dole-out amounts to people devastated by super typhoon Yolanda. They were asked to work on something that would benefit their community, for a "reward" amount of P260/day - equivalent to the minimum wage in the region. But only for one month. So, each member expected to receive just little over P7,000 if the work was actually to last a month.

They still use the banner that identified them as a Cash-For-Work group in August 2015!

What did they do as CFW volunteers? Other groups did other things, but this group (with guidance from the local authorities and Plan Int'l, opted to re-plant mangroves so that the area in their barangay wiped out by Yolanda could become a mangrove forest once more. They were taught how to extract seedlings from mangrove trees that remained. They were also taught how to care-for (wean) these little trees in a makeshift nursery, until ready for planting. And of course, they had to learn the technical details in re-planting mangroves. All that, and the work was a success enough - they received remuneration that they considered help enough for their daily needs. But until when will a P7,000++ last for each family?

Twist of fate!

Four months after their CFW experience, mother earth must have smiled a bit, as the mangrove trees they planted have generally grown well! Hurray for us earthlings... and to them who planted!

But a better twist came in November 2015. A challenge... an opportunity...

Maslog (south-most barangay of Lawaan, Eastern Samar) an adjacent barangay to San Miguel (being the northern-most barangay of Balangiga) had a mangrove planting project too - funded by another INGO. They learned about the little nursery that the San Miguel group had done in the past and offered to buy seedlings so they can also re-grow their portion of the contiguous mangrove forest on this area of Eastern Samar. Not at first thinking about the earnings, but still on the "help mother earth mood" our CFW folks in San Miguel re-grouped to reproduce at least 2 species of the mangrove trees!

A registered business entity!

While growing the seedlings, this CFW group thought of formally organizing themselves, as they expected money would come in, and they better have rules to properly manage an upcoming earning potential.

10 November 2015, 41 members gathered and contributed membership/registration fees of P50 per person. They agreed to also pitch-in a monthly (due) of ten pesos (P10) each moving forward, for which 22 members already paid in advance. Thus, the group had a starting capital of P2,220 that they thought would probably be enough to get them through some materials (seedling bags) and clerical/administrative expenses! Yes, Mana Cynthia, they now know they need money to earn more money! Oh, it was at this "incorporation meeting" that they decided to call themselves SMUPA - San Miguel Unity to Progress Association!

Open for Business and more!

And.., the first sale of 1,500 seedlings (at P10 each) happened on 23 November, followed by their second delivery to the same buyer (Barangay Maslog) of an additional 5,000 seedlings two days after Christmas!

Eyes grew wide.., all of a sudden, their "love mother earth" activity had just earned them P65,000 pesos! Whoa! "What to do?"!

Heavenly Gods were probably smiling at SMUPA as they entered the New Year 2016 with an admirable amount of ‘cash on hand’ just for growing mangrove seedlings!

Simultaneously, in and around Christmas time, more blessings were hovering upon SMUPA: still under the ADB JFPR Grant 9175, Plan International was at about the time, organizing/qualifying groups to become beneficiaries, who could receive ‘seed capital’ of up to P100,000 if they pass the rigorous screening in what is called the "Community Based Enterprise Development" (CBED) Program. SMUPA members, being ex-CFW volunteers are familiar with, and are friends with Plan International's CDF (community development facilitator) Diana Baradan who told them about the opportunities in/by learning about CBED.

CBED groups underwent Financial Literacy Workshops. This "financial statement" is one of their learnings!

SMUPA went all out to join and learn in the CBED training, presented and defended their business proposal (business plan), and came out successful to pass the screening to become a recipient of a P45,000 seed capital (as proposed by the group)! This seed capital is coming their way anytime soon!

Challenges

Not everything is a joyride for SMUPA though. There are little kinks they have to attend to, especially on the 'management side'. Thus the Plan-ADB/JFPR group is still handholding them along the way to tackle these challenges.

Challenges like what?

Membership attrition. From a start of 41 members, there are now just 25. Most of the attritees are male members (only 6 remain active). Main reason for leaving the group? As heads of their respective families, they still have to individually look for daily subsistence, since SMUPA by-laws declare that they can only split their earnings (as dividends) at the end of any year; and three consecutive absences mean they'll have to be expelled from the association. Hmm and however, on the other hand, due to their need for more hands, SMUPA has actually already employed 10 non-member folks to help in the bagging and preparation of seedlings at one peso a piece. So a question is now on their ‘congress floor’ – can’t we as SMUPA members be the employees too to work and receive one peso per seedling prepared? Let the board decide! They soon will!

Transportation to/from this nursery is an issue too. This lot area lent to the association is way far (about 2 kilometers) from their residences. Though the nursery is just along the national highway, it costs them P20 one-way via habal-habal, and not all can afford that - even if they come to work only on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Not to mention lunch while at this nursery. And some mothers already bring their little tots with them to this nursery.

Cuts and bruises. Getting the mangrove seedlings from the source (marshes) requires some skill that even the so-called expert members still usually incur cuts and bruises in the process. They probably need to be tooled more, not only with proper gears, but also with technical procedures and utmost care for their personal safety.

All these are (of course) being looked into by the Plan staff who are constantly on the watch to ensure SMUPA's success.

Ca WE help?

If you... yes you reading this... if you have reached up to this part reading this article... you are needed to pitch-in a little help.

How? Tell the whole country and the whole world via FB, Twitter, Txt, email or calls, that we all need to re-grow our mangroves, and if anyone need the seedlings, SMUPA is just a call or txt away. Help us spread the word to sustain SMUPA's market. Maricel Badilla, the Secretary of SMUPA can be reached via +63 916 337 5599.

Market?

Yes there is, but for how long? They have an upcoming order of about 65,000 seedlings from their LGU itself and probably another 5,000 seedlings from a youth organization planning to do their own share to care for our mangroves. Fantastically brisk business! But, only having more orders at regular intervals will sustain this endeavor, so that the merrier SMUPA will be, and of course, the happier this planet will be!

So, while encouraging everyone to re-green our planet, let’s also tell this whole world there is SMUPA that can provide us with mangrove seedlings!

In the first place… we're all in this together, right?!

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For a Father, Age Does Not Matter

"At last! We’re here. We survived!" These were the words I uttered with relief when we finally reached one of the most remote communities I’ve ever visited, Barangay Sulu-an. Being an island barangay 39.3kms away from mainland Guiuan in Eastern Samar, to reach Sulu-an is an adventure. It took our team almost four hours of travel on a medium-sized pump boat towards the open Pacific Ocean, to reach the island barangay. Amidst the big and daunting waves, we found the will and courage at the thought that when we reach our destination we would be welcomed by the hospitable people of Sulu-an.

On arrival, I immediately interviewed some of our local community partners who took part in the Cash for Work activities under the Livelihood Component funded by Asian Development Bank's Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction. One person I had a chance to talk with is Tatay Melchor Badanoy, Sr.

Tatay Melchor is 58 years old. Despite his age, he is proud to say that he is still capable of working, and even lead his colleagues as they completed their Cash for Work activity. He shared, "Bisan na ako lagas, nahimo ko la gihap makipag-sabayan ngan akon pa gin tutdu-an hin sakto nga pama-agi an akon mga ig kasi cash for worker han pag limpyo ha amon barangay. Age doesn’t matter". (Even if I am old, I was still able to do what younger people could do, and I even taught my fellow cash for workers the proper way to clean our barangay. Age does not matter.)

After receiving his pay for 30 days of work, he used the money on three things, "Una, akon gin palitan hin mga gamit pan-eskwela an akon anak ngan apo sugad han mga sapatos ngan iba pa nga gamit pan-eskwela. Ikaduha, akon napa-ayad an amon pump-boat nga naguba han lumabay nga kalamidad. Ngan usa pa, kahuman mismo namon paka-karawat han akon sweldo, ako ngan han akon misis pumakadto merkado han Guiuan para mangumpra hin mga igbaraligya ha amon barangay". (First, I bought school supplies for my children and grandchildren like shoes and other school needs. Second, I had my pump boat, which was destroyed by Yolanda, repaired. Moreover, after I received my salary, me and my wife went to the market in Guiuan to buy items which we intend to sell in our barangay.) Excited to share what he has bought, he even stood up and rushed into his home to get the receipts for the goods they bought. Seeing all the receipts, it surprised me that he, indeed, was able to purchase a lot.

Furthermore, he shared that with a little bit of hard work and determination, he and his wife will be able to sustain his mini-assorted store and newly repaired pump-boat to provide for his family. "Diri ko gud sasayangan an iyo bulig ha akon ngan ha mga Sulu-anon". I will not waste the help you gave me and the Sulu-anons.)

Barangay Sulu-an, though isolated from mainland Guiuan, with meager resources, is abundant with inspiring stories of even more inspiring people like Tatay Melchor. And although travelling to the island is a challenge, to say the least, it is a place worth coming back, every time.

Jiggs Venick Garcia
Monitoring and Evaluation Officer
Plan International, Inc.
(Implementing Partner of ADB-JFPR Grant 9175 Project, Sub-component A.2)

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Farm Materials Distributed At Salvacion, Dulag

Truckloads of rice seeds, sprayer tanks, vermicast and sweet potato cuttings descended upon the barangay this morning (24NOV2015) to the delight of the eagerly awaiting beneficiaries. It's farming materials and implements this time for Barangay Salvacion in Dulag, Leyte!

All these courtesy of ADB JFPR's Grant 9175 being implemented by Plan International to alleviate the economic condition of the community.

42 farming families qualified as recipients and received varying amounts of the said farming inputs, depending on the type of, and the size of their farming areas. Many are into rice farming, thus the truckload consisted a majority of sacks of 'mega yield foliar' (certified rice seeds). Some are into sweet potato (camote) farming, but there's even a water melon farm in a hectare or so of land. Dulag's Municipal Agriculture Officer was on hand to validate recipients and distribute the inputs.


These farming inputs did not however just materialize as a bright idea of the funder (ADB's Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction) nor the implementing partner (Plan International). This came out as one of the many agreed interventions needed after a series of community meetings and FGDs (Focus Group Discussions).

One of the recipients, Mr. Ernesto Garcia Jr., (referring to what he received) intimated that this was all he needed to restart his farm anew. He further assured us with an invitation to come see his farm after a month saying "sigurado, diri ako niyo ikaka-awod" (I'm sure you won't be ashamed of my outputs)!

If these farm inputs we distributed are "just one of the many", what other interventions has ADB JFPR (via Plan Int'l) done in this barangay? Well, some have qualified to be recipients of the Community Based Enterprise Development (CBED) Program, where groups are trained in entrepreneurship, after which they submit and defend their business proposal for viability, and if they pass, they receive the start-up capital needed as stipulated in their business plans.

Other community members have participated in the Cash For Work Program that ended last month (those who did vegetable farms are already harvesting). The PWDs and elderly received their share that came by way of UCT (unconditional cash transfers). Adults have been trained on DRR while children also had their version of said awareness and readiness campaign.

Out of school boys and girls were plucked out of the barangay for some time, where they enrolled and lived as full scholars at KEITECH or BCAT to earn their TESDA certificates in various courses of their choice! And, 4 days from now, that would be the 28th of November, we are handing over a spanking new 4-classroom building to Salvacion Elementary School!

Happy to help.

More photos of the event at our

ADB Typhoon Yolanda Response FB Page

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Rappler: 2 years after Yolanda: Learning from disaster

Here's news from Rappler.com: and we Quote

A robust system to monitor progress is needed to enable effective communication about recovery. Without it, conflicting messages and directions can lead to confusion rather than clarity.

Richard Bolt

Published 3:00 PM, November 07, 2015

Updated 3:00 PM, November 07, 2015

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Two years after Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) made landfall in the Philippines, recovery and reconstruction are well underway. We have learned many lessons – and are still learning – from the Yolanda response, and from how other countries have handled post-disaster recovery.

These valuable insights can help decision-makers tasked with implementing recovery to address emerging issues and strengthen resilience to future disasters – especially at a time of rising disaster risk and increasingly frequent extreme weather events. Through monitoring, evaluation, and knowledge sharing, these policies and practices can be altered as necessary to fit changing circumstances.

A key to coping with the aftermath of a disaster the scale of Yolanda is to draw on the knowledge and experience from within the Philippines and from other countries – in this region and beyond – which have had to respond to disasters.

This was an overriding message from the recent Regional Knowledge Forum on Post-Disaster Recovery hosted by the Asian Development Bank. Despite differences in institutions, budgetary resources, and the nature of disasters faced, there are common elements to each and every recovery process.

These comparisons help to put our own post-Yolanda experience in perspective. In Indonesia, following the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, efficient relief operations helped to elevate expectations – ironically creating the potential for dissatisfaction when transitioning to the recovery phase.

Heru Presetyo of Indonesia’s BRR Institute, the agency tasked with rehabilitation and reconstruction, told the post-disaster recovery forum that: "Year two [after the event] is the most difficult. This is the year when expectations are high and recovery is slow."

Clearly, managing expectations is crucial. This can be done through effective communications, which should be consistent, comprehensive, and coordinated. A robust system to monitor progress is needed to enable effective communication about recovery. Without it, conflicting messages and directions can lead to confusion rather than clarity.

The second takeaway from post-disaster recoveries is that inadequate local capacity is common to almost all of them. Large-scale disasters can easily overwhelm local authorities. From damage assessment and recovery planning to implementation and monitoring, local government units may lack the technical and financial capacity to even make a successful start to the recovery process.

Technical assistance

Even large jurisdictions with plentiful resources often find it challenging to cope with the devastation wrought by a large-scale disaster. At our post-disaster recovery forum, the experience was compared by Scott Davis, who was involved in the rebuilding from Hurricane Sandy in 2012, to drinking from a fire hose when you’re at your weakest and with a thousand rules for how to do it.

Delivering well-targeted abundant technical assistance that addresses capacity needs will help matters, particularly if it creates a cadre of local experts capable of rebuilding lives, buildings and institutions with no effort spared.

Empowering local authorities is crucial, as reconstruction can’t be piecemeal. Schools, hospitals, and livelihoods must be re-established to new standards of resilience. Jobless survivors need to be taught new skills – like how to turn an idea into a small business. Indeed, businesses need extra support on issues like accessing finance to re-establish markets and supply chains when disaster strikes.

REBUILDING. Carpenters build new classrooms at the Bislig Elementary School in Tanauan, Leyte. Photo by Ariel Javellana/ADB

A third lesson is that business as usual isn’t enough when results are needed quickly on the ground after a disaster. Instead, efficient implementation should prioritize simple project designs and procurement processes, streamlined disbursements of financial assistance, and capable partners to implement project activities. Making this happen demands strong leadership, effective coordination, and the flexibility to adapt to changing priorities and needs during implementation.

Pre-existing policy problems are exposed and amplified by disaster. But this can be an opportunity to address these issues and build back better in terms of policy. Some particularly challenging policies in a recovery setting are demarcation of no-build zones in hazard prone areas and involuntary settlements, and low-cost financing for housing and livelihoods to help households and small businesses recover.

Accumulating and sharing knowledge gained during recovery on these and other issues will inform better policies that can become building blocks of future resilience.

IN SCHOOL. Students attend class inside the new classrooms at the Bislig Elementary School in Tanauan, Leyte. Photo by Ariel Javellana/ADB

Finally, the most important lesson of all is to deliver support quickly, and in a way that strengthens – not weakens – government institutions. The importance of coordinating closely with the government cannot be overstated. Development partners like ADB should take their cues from the government, aligning their financing assistance with its assessments and recovery plans.

Yolanda – like all large-scale disasters – was a tragedy, but it was also a learning opportunity to do better moving ahead. By heeding lessons now, we can save lives and improve living standards and livelihoods in the future.

Richard Bolt is the director of ADB’s Philippines Country Office

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Yolanda Victims Trained As Agricultural Extension Workers

25SEP2015. "Transforming Farmscape through Diversified and Integrated Farming". That's the formal title of a training workshop attended by 30 beneficiaries from Leyte and Western Samar selected by Plan International under the ADB JFPR Grant 9175 who will become what we call Agricultural Extension Workers at their respective communities.


This intensive 5-day live-in seminar ended today at the Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) inside the Visayas State University in Baybay, Leyte, where participants received their certificates after doing a rigorous action planning together with their respective LGU's Agricultural Technologists and Community Development Facilitators (CDFs) from Plan Inernational.

Next step, these 'graduates' will become trainers of their fellow residents on more productive farming techniques and approaches that includes awareness of calamity resilient areas, products or activities.

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