We were told not to encourage mendicancy by this adage:
Give a Man a Fish, and You Feed Him for a Day. Teach a Man To Fish, and You Feed Him for a Lifetime.
Is it a good advice? It is. But only if there are waters teeming with fishes that are available for fishing to ordinary fisherfolks. Think of the current situation in the West Philippine Sea/South China Sea.
Please consider this:
If you give me a fish, you have fed me for a day. If you teach me to fish, then you have fed me until the river is contaminated or the shoreline seized for development.
But if you teach me to organize, then whatever the challenge I can join together with my peers and we will fashion our own solution.
Our Self-Help Approach – Children-Focused Community Development project in Agusan Marsh Barangays, funded by Kindernothilfe Germany/Philippines, intends not just giving our partners fishes nor teaching them to fish but more on facilitating the formation of People’s Institution, namely Self-Help Groups, Cluster Level Associations, and Federation.
Self-Help Groups (SHGs) have the following characteristics: Serves as Primary Membership – General Body, Practices Savings/Credit and all economic activities, Promotes social bond and affinity among members, Tackles basic social issues in family and community.
Cluster Level Associations are characterized by the following: Serves as Representative Level, Strengthens SHGs and forms new ones, Links with other service providers, Owns projects, Establishes value system in the community, Makes presence felt in local governance.
Federation has the following roles: Provides identity of the Institution, Maintains the identity of the Institution, Lobbies and advocates for pro-people’s policies; Interacts with external bodies as a juridical entity.
We have facilitated the formation of 72 Self-Help Groups and 10 Cluster Level Associations in the project areas. And just recently, a Federation – already a service organization – has officially existed with the Oath Taking of its leaders. It is a cause of celebration, indeed. We are excited how this new development player in Agusan del Sur perform in the near future. On our part, we are committed to journey with this group for a minimum of three more years in implementing projects that benefit children, women, environment, and the community at large.
We are happy to introduce the federation of women from the Municipalities of San Francisco, Talacogon, , Esperanza, and La Paz (SANTAESLA), all of Agusan del Sur Province.
Name:
KABABAYEN-AN ALANG SA KALAMBOAN SA SANTAESLA (KASKO) Federation
Vision
Malangkobon, makiangayon, ug malambuong komunidad nga naga-protekta sa integridad sa Agusan Marsh
Mission:
- Ang pagpausbaw ug pagpakusog sa gahom sa mga kababayen-an aron mamahimong makahuloganon ang ilang presensya sa panimalay ug komunidad;
- Ang pag-protekta sa katungod sa mga kabataan aron mamahimo silang magmalambuon ug responsableng mga miyembro sa komunidad;
- Ang pag-implementar og mga proyektong makadala og kalambuan (social and economic) sa komunidad; ug
- Ang pag-paningkamot nga mabalik ug ma-mintinar ang integredad sa Agusan Marsh.
