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Some 900 women from Albay province were delivered from poverty after engaging in a two-year intervention program led by the international non-government organization Women Empowerment on Leadership in Economics Resources, Access, and Participation .
Organized into 61 self-help groups, these women from 47 barangays in Manito and Camalig towns embraced entrepreneurial ventures and community development initiatives with support from local and international partners. Among WELEAP’s collaborators were the Mayon Integrated Development Alternative Services and the Bicol Center for Community Development . The Spanish Cooperation Agency has provided €2 million to fund the initiative. Angelita Lirio, a 43-year-old mother of seven from Sitio San Jose, Barangay Nagotgot in Manito, recalled how her small group of 17 women started with modest ambitions. Initially retailing a single sack of rice, they diversified into selling dried fish, cassava chips, brooms, and liniments. Despite initial skepticisms from their community, Angelita’s group persevered. She said they ignored the critics who doubted their ability to succeed. Today, their locally produced dried fish or ‘danggit’ is a best seller at SM City Legazpi Supermarket. Alwin Nol, the village chief of Nagotgot, is a staunch supporter of the self-help groups. Impressed by their success, he now considers encouraging the women to ramp up cassava chip production to cater to tourists visiting the nearby Nag-aso Lake, a renowned local attraction. In Barangay Caguiba, 28-year-old Joan Murilla Pepaño reflected on her transformation from a mere housewife to a confident entrepreneur. With a business built on their home-grown lettuce, she and her group have ventured into producing vegetable salads, a source of pride and financial stability for the group. WE-LEAP program officer Carmela Lorayes highlighted the project’s focus on self-sufficiency and rights assertion. “These livelihood activities were developed by the women themselves. They underwent training in business development, and they also have resource inventory mapping,” Lorayes said. The women have not only received material and equipment support, but have also participated in learning sessions on positive parenting, maternal health, and early childhood care. Local barangay council members, or “duty bearers,” have been actively involved in addressing gender-based violence, fostering a safer and more supportive community. As the WE-LEAP project nears its completion next month, Educo Philippines country director Gemma Castillo-Goliat gave assurance that their impact will endure. The women’s self-help groups have collectively saved over P2 million from their business ventures, securing additional income for their families.“A violence-free and empowering community contributes to our mission across the globe, thereby cultivating an environment of gender equality and rights, equal opportunity, and protection,” Goliat said
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