Nanay Melba, 54, together with some members of San Isidro Women’s Association (SIWA) in San Julian, Eastern Samar, had to wake up every day before the crack of dawn to feed 408 chickens, waiting for each one to fill their baskets with farm-fresh eggs, which would then be sold to some households in their community.
After a farm accident resulting in her husband’s arm injury, Nanay Melba was left with no choice but to work double time to feed her family.
“Lahat, kahit ano. Naglalaba ako, dalawa nilalabhan ko, naglilinis din po sa mga bahay ng nilalabhan ko. May dalawang estudyante pa kasi ako e [I’ll do anything. I do the laundry, wash two loads, and clean the homes of those whose laundry I wash. I still have two students, which is why I’m so determined],” shared Nanay Melba when asked about her source of income after her husband’s unfortunate accident.
“Ang mahal na ng bilihin ngayon kaya kailangan talaga maghanap ng mapagkakakitaan, pero nakakaraos pa rin [We’re still making ends meet, but finding extra income is necessary due to the rising cost of living],” she added.
Nanay Ange, another SIWA member and former OFW, shared that about 10-11 trays of eggs were produced on a daily basis and are almost sold out daily, thanks to the marketing team who posted their daily produce on Facebook, reaching as far as the city of Borongan.
Nanay Ange sorts the eggs according to size during the afternoons.The eggs will then be sold per tray to the town, reaching as far as Borongan City. (Photo: PIA Region VIII)
The SAAD Program
The Department of Agriculture’s Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) Program, launched in 2017, has continued to make breakthrough in areas that were identified as poorest of the poor, where marginalized farmers make their living.
Nanay Melba check the waterers to ensure the flow of water in the cages. (Photo: PIA Region VIII)
SIWA’s Egg Production Livelihood, where Nanay Melba and Nanay Angie were involved, is just one of the many SAAD interventions with tangible impacts on the members and the community.
“Nakakatulong po talaga, hindi lang sa amin, pati sa komunidad namin kasi mura lang namin binebenta ang itlog tsaka honest kami sa timbang namin kaya sigurado na fresh at quality po itlog namin,” shared Nanay Ange in an interview while sorting the harvested eggs.
She also shared that the DA-SAAD start-up capital consisted of 80 bags of feed, 408 heads of layers, and cages with waterers tanks, among others.
Technical assistance, such as visits to other farms and seminars, was also attended by the SIWA ladies to better prepare them for the livelihood grant.
To understand the impact on beneficiaries, the SAAD Program employed a triangulation-based approach, which serves as the foundation of the said activities, emphasizing report generation, site validation, and feedback. The meticulous approach employed in this monitoring and evaluation exercise underlines the unwavering commitment of the program to deliver tangible results for the farming communities it serves.
Building Bayanihan
The hut, however, which houses the chicken layers, was built with the efforts of the whole community. The SIWA ladies humbly solicited monetary donations from politicians and private individuals who wholeheartedly supported the project. Along the way, the organization accumulated savings.
Their husbands and men in the family, as well as other SIWA ladies, lent a hand in building the hut, and everyone relentlessly persevered to make the project a reality.
“Yung mga hindi namin kaya gawin tulad ng pag-akyat para magbubong ginagawa ng mga asawa ng ibang members, malaking tulong na yun,” noted Nanay Ange.
Moreover, the lot was owned by the family of Maricar Alfonso, SIWA president, who voluntarily lent the land to the organization.
SIWA President Maricar Alfonso (leftmost) with the SIWA ladies inside the chicken hut built with the efforts of the whole community. (Photo: PIA Region VIII)
Leading the way
Alfonso shared that the organization was founded in 2016.
Since then, they have been engaged in several training sessions and seminars from both the government and NGOs. However, DA-SAAD’s egg-laying livelihood granted to them in August this year was the first project that was turned over to them.
The former community worker said the project is a big help to them not just financially but also in capacitating the members with business management skills, marketing, financial management, and how to deal with other people.
“An akon vision kunta in the future, diri la mga members han SIWA an maka-benefit, bug-os nga komunidad dama, especially an mga kababayin-an dinhi ha amon,” (My vision is that hopefully in the future, not only SIWA members will benefit but the entire community, especially the women in our place), Alfonso said.
“Diri la ini hiya mga kanan myembro la, family affair in hiya, nabulig kasi an ira mga asawa,” (This is no longer an activity only for members, but already a family affair, because spouses help) she added. (MMP/VTG/PIA Eastern Samar)
