Livelihood for 21 fishing communities in the PH

Bicol Women Receive Livelihood Support from WWF-Philippines 

The wives of Bicol fishermen have been given a good boost towards bringing in profits for their coastal communities.

On the 22nd and 23rd of March, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines donated food processing kits and ingredients to fishing communities in Caramoan and Presentacion, in the province of Camarines Sur. The kits were donated as part of the conservation organization’s Kabuhayan Para Sa Kababaihan campaign, a fundraising effort to support the livelihoods of women in rural communities across the Philippines.

Cooking ingredients were distributed to women beneficiaries from the communities of Guijalo, Caramoan, and Parubcan, Presentacion. Donated as well were the equipment and utensils needed to process them.

21 women joined the turnover event in Guijalo, while another 23 participated during the Presentacion event for a total of 44 families represented.

After the turnover of donations, participants processed and packaged the ingredients for the market using their new equipment. In the past workshops held in April 2021, BFAR Region 5 trained the participants how to process and produce products for sale at the market.

In the past years, the women of Guijalo and Presentacion were left without a source of livelihood. For the women, the livelihood support that was extended to them provides an opportunity to do more for their families and their community.

“This is an important step in the community empowerment work we’re doing in Lagonoy Gulf. We want to support women in the work that they do within the tuna supply chain, which is why we’re thankful we were able to receive these donations and hold this workshop,” said WWF-Philippines Sustainable Tuna Partnership 2 Site Manager for Lagonoy Gulf Leah Benosa.

WWF-Philippines’ Sustainable Tuna Partnership 2 (STP 2) project works to uplift the livelihoods and communities of small-scale yellowfin tuna fishers in the Philippines. The project has helped fishers organize into Tuna Fishers Associations, and continues to work with stakeholders across the yellowfin tuna supply chain in its push for sustainable fisheries.

Locating women within the tuna supply chain and providing them with the support they need is part and parcel to the work of the STP 2 project.

“Our group is among those who were helped by WWF-Philippines, and we are thankful for this opportunity to put up another source of funds for our community. I’m thankful for the help we’ve been given towards helping our organization thrive,” said Rochel Marto, President of the Tuna Fishers Association of Caramoan (TFAC) Women's Group of Guijalo and the San Vicente Cluster.

The group in Guijalo will market both to their local government unit and to local hotels, making use of Caramoan’s reputation as a tourist destination. In Presentacion, meanwhile, products will be marketed to schools, and will be put on display at the local market.

The STP 2 project will continue pursuing ways in which to uplift the livelihoods of women in its partner communities.