Advocating Gender and Development (GAD), women partner-beneficiaries in Guinaang, Conner actively engaged in the implementation of the Cash-for-Work (CFW) component of Project Local Adaptation to Water Access and Breaking Insufficiency through Nutritious Harvest for the Impoverished (LAWA at BINHI) which started last June 4.
Being the first barangay in Apayao to conduct CFW among the seven barangays-beneficiaries, 125 female and 106 male partner-beneficiaries work together to accomplish the Construction of Flood Control Ripraps/Gabions which aims to mitigate crop damage due to flooding and surging of water tributaries. They also started the Establishment of Learning Site on Scale Up Project on Contoured Upland Rice-based and High-Value Commercial Crop Farming System to ensure food sufficiency in the disaster-vulnerable communities.
In their implementation, the women helped the men in the construction works. Guinaang Team Leader Dionicia Fabro shared that the women also have to do the heavy works to assist the men so they can finish their activities sooner. “By nature, men are physically stronger than women and are more experienced in this line of work but we women have the inner strength and our resilience able us to to do manual labor,” Fabro explained.
Proving that ingenuity equals strength, Fabro narrated that the women formed a line then passed the boulders from one to another to transport it to the project site. “We manually haul construction materials from the drop-off point to the project site through the pasa-pasa system. This strategy saves our energy compared to walking the distance with our loads. And, just like them [men], kaya mi met ti agconstruction ken agpala ti daga,” she added.
Special Assistant to the Secretary Maria Isabel Lanada in her visits in the project sites in the Region appreciated the women participation in the planning to implementation phases of the Project. “Ang mga ilaw din ng tahanan ang makikinabang sa proyektong ito kapag nasustain sapagkat magkakaroon ng karagdagang pagkukunan ng masustansyang pagkain para sa kanilang mga pamilya,” she added.
Continuing their support to the Risk Resiliency Program, Meriam Palsic from the Provincial Office of Agricultural Services, Engr. Jeremy Figueroa from the Provincial Engineering Office and Ms Joana Balagso from the Municipal Agricultural Office provided technical assistance and supervision during their construction. The Project is also keenly monitored by the MSWD RRP Focal Pedro Potokna and DSWD-SWAD Apayao-based Project Development Officers Jhoanna A. Jimenez and Rejane L. Kingat.# DSWD FIELD OFFICE CAR, SOCIAL MARKETING UNIT, IO II MYLYN M. BONGSIAN and PDO I REJANE L. KINGAT
