A flagship project of Pres. Cha-Cha, the Calawis-wis Cawayan Livelihood program covers the planting of bamboos in about 1,000 hectares of forestlands, and the establishment of organic farms for vegetables and fruits in Antipolo City. It is aimed at improving the socio-economic conditions of 1,000 families, including 300 Dumagats, at Barangay Calawis. Dumagats are indigenous people living in the Sierra Madre Mountains’ hinterlands.
The MOA signing was witnessed by Barangay officials and farmers of Calawis, the Rotary Community Corps (RCC) and members of the Rotary Club of Antipolo City headed by Councilor Alex Marquez. Cha-Cha Camacho was accompanied by RCMSL members Maridel Villavicencio, Munte del Rosario, Odette Ong and Erwyn Alcomendras.
The Calawis-wis Cawayan Livelihood project is being funded through The Rotary Foundation (TRF) 3H (Health, Hunger and Humanity) matching grant, which prioritizes integrated and sustainable developmental projects focused on poverty alleviation, literacy improvement, enhanced delivery of basic health services and clean water, and child mortality reduction.
RCMSL is also in partnership with Synergeia Foundation to train Calawis elders and public school teachers towards improving the level of functional literacy among their constituents. The goal of RCMSL is to arm the Dumagats with basic reading and numeracy skills to protect themselves from unscrupulous land speculators.
Aside from the economic benefits of the bamboo plantation, the project will have a significant impact on environment protection. Studies show that bamboo, a renewable and sustainable forest resource, can absorb 12 tons of carbon dioxide per hectare per year. With its net-like root system, bamboos planted along riverbanks are also effective in preventing soil erosion. |
