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In photo: Action Against Hunger MOVE UP team member conducts a household survey in Kidapawan City (2020 © Photo by Lyndon Arbes for Action Against Hunger)

In photo: Action Against Hunger MOVE UP team member conducts a household survey in Kidapawan City (2020 © Photo by Lyndon Arbes for Action Against Hunger)

FROM THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE: RESIDENTS COPE WITH FINANCIAL ADVERSITY WITH THE HELP OF COMMUNITY SAVINGS

“Earning money to put on the table has been difficult ever since the pandemic started,” said 42-year old Gemma Andot, her statement encapsulating the challenges that many people have been facing for more than a year now.

By leading a community savings group, she hopes to empower her community towards resilience and inspire future generations of savers.

FROM THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE: RESIDENTS COPE WITH FINANCIAL ADVERSITY WITH THE HELP OF COMMUNITY SAVINGS

“Earning money to put on the table has been difficult ever since the pandemic started,” said 42-year old Gemma Andot, her statement encapsulating the challenges that many people have been facing for more than a year now.

By leading a community savings group, she hopes to empower her community towards resilience and inspire future generations of savers.

Barangay Ilomavis, her community in Kidapawan City, North Cotabato sits at the foot of Mount Apo. Considered the highest peak in the Philippines, Mt. Apo is the ancestral domain of the Manobo — one of the indigenous groups in Mindanao and whose main livelihood centers on agriculture. “Like me, a lot of people here work as farmers and cultivate the land for crops, fruits, and vegetables,” said Gemma, a member of the Obo Manobo ethnic group herself.

She explained how the COVID-19 pandemic took a huge toll on their community’s source of income. “The recurring lockdowns have affected our livelihoods, there are so many restrictions and sometimes we don’t have a choice but to sell our produce at a much cheaper price or else they will just rot,” she added.

ESTABLISHING A COMMUNITY SAVINGS GROUP

2021 © Photo by Roger Cabiles for Action Against Hunger

The idea of starting a community savings group (CSG) came to mind when a team from Action Against Hunger came to Barangay Ilomavis to advocate livelihood resilience strategies as one way of easing their difficult situation. After learning about the benefits of CSGs, Gemma immediately saw the potential in creating one for their community. “Establishing this group here in our barangay will greatly help because support will be available to those who need it,” she stated.

The Pine Cash Savings Group was formally established on the 4th of December 2020, with Gemma serving as chairperson of the 32-member group. For the name, the group took inspiration from the Agoho, an evergreen native tree that resembles a pine tree abundant in the area.

Establishing this group here in our barangay will greatly help because support will be available to those who need it.” said Gemma.

ASSESSING RISKS AND VULNERABILITY

In photos: Evacuees from Barangay Ilomavis set up tents during the aftermath of the Mindanao Earthquakes. (2019 © Photo by Delilah Chua for Action Against Hunger)

In October 2019, a series of strong earthquakes struck North Cotabato. In Ilomavis alone, this event had triggered a massive landslide that buried many houses, destroyed livelihoods, and left hundreds of families displaced. Many families were just getting back on their feet when COVID-19 entered the picture.

The pandemic became a threat multiplier for the already vulnerable community. More than the economic impact, the health crisis may have put more people at greater risk. Last June, a surge in COVID-19 cases erupted in Kidapawan City, and more recently, North Cotabato had reported its first Delta variant case in the province.

Moreover, Ilomavis’ location also makes the residents susceptible to potential volcanic hazards since Mt. Apo is an active volcano. However, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) had stated that there has been no recorded eruption of Mt. Apo throughout history, and no looming threats of an eruption anytime soon.

In photo: Louie Bullanday, DRR Supervisor, leading the pre-pandemic community risk assessment (CRA) workshop at Barangay Ilomavis last February 6, 2020 (2020 © Photo by MOVE UP for Action Against Hunger)

BUILDING RESILIENT COMMUNITIES

At Action Against Hunger, one of our pivotal roles in preventing malnutrition in communities is by addressing the problems leading to food insecurity—a major cause of hunger. In order to create resilient communities, we bolster local economies through a variety of activities that are focused not only on food security & livelihoods (FSL), but also in improving disaster risk reduction (DRR) strategies of vulnerable and hazard-prone areas.

This is why CSGs are not focused entirely on creating savings alone, but also in increasing social and institutional capital which members can utilize in case of disasters, calamities, or personal emergencies.

Our initial support to the Pine CSG was the provision of a start-up livelihood capital amounting to twenty-one thousand pesos (Php 21,000.00), which they can use to invest in resilient livelihood activities. These ventures include—but are not limited to—enrolling members in microinsurance, microcredit access with low-interest rates, or engaging in a small business.

In photo: Louie Bullanday (left) together with the initial members of the Pine CSG of Barangay Ilomavis last November 6, 2020 (2020 © Photo by MOVE UP for Action Against Hunger)

As of August 21, Pine CSG now has total funds amounting to Php 145,000.00 derived from regular weekly member contributions, social fund earnings from loan interest and fines collected, and savings.

The microcredit aspect of the CSG proved to be beneficial for farmer-members affected recently by the continuous rainfall that started in June. They appreciated the convenience of getting the loan immediately to buy materials to replant their crops.

More than just a savings group, the Pine CSG has also funded programs that are pressing needs according to members. During the surge of COVID-19 cases in Kidapawan last June, the CSG provided face masks, alcohol, and Vitamin C supplements to all their members. Gemma shares how the initiative came from the members themselves, “we observed that these items were needed, especially when the COVID cases spiked in Kidapawan. We had money in the social fund so we decided to use it.”

In photo: Gemma Andot (left) and the other members of the Pine CSG facilitate the collection of cash savings (2021 © Photo by Roger Cabiles for Action Against Hunger)

INCITING A CULTURE OF SAVING

The Pine CSG in Barangay Ilomavis is one strategy that enhances the resilience capacities of its members in responding to various forms of emergencies and hazards. It also increases their economic, institutional, and social capitals through savings, access to government services and programs, along with building partnerships that will enable them to withstand and manage the impact of conflicts and disasters.

For Gemma and the Pine CSG, this is only the start towards a better future. “We want this group to continue and for the people to keep saving. Maybe in the future, we will open it to children as well.”

In photo: Gemma Andot, wearing the cultural attire of her Obo Manobo ethnic group, smiles for a profile photo. (Photo courtesy of Gemma Andot)

The establishment of Community Savings Group in vulnerable communities is one of the urban resilience strategies advocated by the MOVE UP project.

Moving Urban Poor Communities Towards Resilience (MOVE UP 4) is a consortium project that offers durable solutions in terms of capacitating local governments and communities in mitigating the adverse socio-economic effects of disasters. With funding from the European Union, MOVE UP 4 is implemented by Action Against Hunger, Plan International, CARE Philippines, and ACCORD Incorporated.

Written by Roger Cabiles, Jr. | Edited by Dale Divinagracia, Joyce Sandajan.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union, or the consortium members. Neither the European Union nor any of the consortium members can be held responsible for them.

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