It's amazing what pigs can do to give jobs and livelihood. No other farm animal can compare with lowly piglet as a giveaway animal in terms of potential growth and income. No other farm animal favors any donor or charitable giver in terms of investing on the needy recipients. No other farm animal can produce up to 16 piglets in one birth. Of course, chicken can be equally productive, but it's not as manageable as a give-away farm animal like the piglet. It's easy to build & establish a charitable program around the pig. A pyramid-type of charity could be formulated. A pyramid scheme that will not be for personal benefit or earning income from investments, but a kind of investment in reverse that will grow to help many families. The giving or donation is the one that will multiply to benefit many beneficiaries. Just one seed of charity or one piglet could be made to jump by leaps and bounds over the years because of the multiplier effect. Piglets dispersal is not a new concept or idea. It's been practiced in limited and isolated towns in Philippines for the last 40 years or so. Models were copied from USA and other countries abroad. I had been involved in a small way in similar project in Mindoro promulgated by our local church in Manila in 1998. The old concept needs unlimited modifications to make it practical and sustainable.CAN WE RUN A PIGLETS PROGRAM IN ANY TOWN?
Of course! The conditions of lack of jobs and scarce opportunities for livelihood are the same all over the Philippines. Pig is a favorite farm animal and provides a chance for everybody to take advantage of the its inherent productive nature.
Untold stories of raising pigs have helped support college education of children in the provinces, at anytime in our history. This alone is proof how valuable pig raising is. Just ask your elders and townmates.
The internet is a very useful tool in this time and age. We use it to run our project, specially emails. Without the internet, there will be some difficulties, but not entirely insurmountable.
We need reliable local volunteers or group, preferably with people who knows internet. Plain citizens of the town who are acquainted with social programs and with leadership qualities, mature enough and respected in the town are needed. A point man is also needed to act as overseer locally. He will guide the volunteers to select piglets recipients, select other helpers, how to select suppliers and buy the piglets, how to manage the funds entrusted to hm, eventual dispersal, conduct regular visits, take pictures, and submit status reports regularly via emails.
As described elsewhere in this manual, the full cooperation and collaboration of these parties are important: 1) donors, 2) local volunteers, and 3) recipients for this project to succeed. Any breakdown of cooperation between all these parties spells doom and failure, but entirely not insurmountable, as solutions can also be done to use alternative parties available in the towns. Due to potential growth of the program, the recipients are important part of the whole exercise. In effect they are considered donors by themselves and have a role to play towards the desired goals.
IS OUR PIGLETS PROJECT A FOUNDATION OR CORPORATION?
Our answer is NO. It is not a corporation or non-profit corporation. It is also not a foundation. It is basically just an idea or a concept, that we are trying to promote so that the same program can be duplicated or replicated by others in their own regions of the country. There is no heirarchy. We do not maintain any headquarters. Nobody collects any salary. Nobody is paid any compensation. Everybody is a volunteer. All donations donation go 100% to purchase of piglets and handling costs. Our project just needs one lucky Pinoy or group of Pinoys, specially many successful Pinoys abroad, to give one piglet to his neighbor, his relative, or forgotten family in his town or barangay, but that recipient-family can feed and raise the pig, and provide clean surroundings and pigpen. Furthermore, you alone and your own donors and your own local volunteers will implement the program. We are here merely to help you organize and start it due to our little exposure and ongoing experience, as can be seen in this journal. We could be misconstrued as soliciting funds or donations for ourselves. Far from it. We just want you to adopt the idea.
WHY THIS PROJECT?
If we are really serious and want to help our country and its people, the piglet recycle program is the best way to do it. We can do it. You and I can. Our group can. Our forum can. One individual Pinoy can do it. One family can. We believe there are many of us who could be considered a little bit lucky and can share our blessings, specially those of us in RP or abroad. Giving a piglet is the easiest and cheapest thing to do. It's also the best charity. Please discover & be amazed.
More than any time, the crying need of the Philippines are jobs for its people. What we are trying to say is employment is the number one problem in RP. So we must think of ways to create employment and livelihood within our means or what we can honestly afford and on the basis of our genuine concern.
The premise of this exercise is to ask yourself, if what I am saying is true, that there is lack of jobs in the Philippines. We must first admit and recognize this reality for that is the basis of our decision. Please stop and think and commit yourself to this cause.
Even the very rich cannot claim that they have unlimited resources. If they want to give including those who are not so rich but want to give and can afford to give, must also be given that chance to maximize the benefits of his giving. If one is given a choice that his ten dollars can benefit 10 people, instead of just 1 person, will he not choose the one that benefits 10 people? That is the essence of the this Piglets Recycle Program that is applicable in any place in the Philippines, for them to apply it in their own hometowns and provinces, because of the low donation involved and yield enormous benefits. BACKGROUND
We agreed among our core group, potential donors and friends via exchange of emails that we will help in providing livelihood or means of earning a living to our needy people, specially in the rural areas. We wanted to ignite the local economy. We first admitted to ourselves that many families have no means of livelihood. Many have no jobs, no opportunities, no decent homes, no education, no chance to go abroad, or be employed, have big families in uncontrolled population explosion, which in turn breeds drug abuse, thievery and gambling. We knew and felt that many lucky people both locally and abroad want to help. But they dont like to engage in dole-outs or outright giving, which are self-defeating and have no long term benefits. They would like to help in livelihood or kabuhayan programs that will generate self-sustaining income to the recipient is not necessarily marginalized or poorest of the poor, but not also rich enough to be considered middle-class. The recipient is a partner and future donor himself, because he is required to return 2 breeder piglets after one year when the pig has given birth. These 2 piglets will be given to 2 other recipients.This cycle is repeated, without stopping, year in and year out, with future recipients helping in the process of the cycles.
This idea revolutionizes charitable giving. One giving is all that is needed. One seed money is needed. We take advantage of the prolific nature of the pigs, that multiplies to maximun 31 pigllets after 5 years. Just 2 are reserved always for charity. In a nutshell, it means 1 piglet charity today, becomes 2 next year, 4 next, 8 next, 16 next, and so on. This example has total of 1+2+4+8+16 = 31. A $100 donation becomes $3,100 after 5 years, and the donor is not even aware, that he has given such huge help. Plus, the cycle does not even end, and the charity keeps growing.
We merely help in the establishment of the program by seeking & selecting the suitable local volunteer in a given place. The program is basically implemented by such volunteers and their teams. We keep tab of the progress of the projects via emails, which are very important in measuring the results. 100% of all donations are given to these local project implementors. Or, we ask donors to remit directly to the local implementors. Please visit some websites of existing projects listed elsewhere, to see how we handle the financial aspects.
MAIN GOAL IS LOCAL ECONOMY
Our main goal is to stimulate the local economy continuously without end. We give one piglet to a capable recipient-raiser, but requires him to pay back 2 piglets after one year, when his piglet starts breeding. The purpose of the paid back piglets is to give them to future 2 recipients. We will repeat the same cycle year in and year out without end. This subsequent dispersals or recycles are the main ingredients of this charity project. Any project that does not recycle or disperse any paid-back piglets fall into category of the old practices and will never attain the goal of stimulating the local economy. Besides, not recycling the piglets violates the donor's investment. The donor donated with the understanding that piglets will be recycled to maximize his giving.
OLD AND TRADITIONAL PIG DISPERSALS Mention must be made of old & traditional practices of piglets dispersal, as follows:
(1) As a form of private investment for profit and as semi-charity. A person of means make arrangement with a needy recipient, by providing him a free piglet under the condition that they divide the profits along this line. The recipient will raise the piglets at his own expense, including, pig pen, feeds, water, sanitation, insemmination, etc, until it gives births. After births, they share on 50/50 basis, the number of piglets born, and the mother pig must be returned to the original donor. It's up to the recipient to further his livelihood. The original donor continues his business scheme with other recipients. The help is extended only to one recipient. The division of profits are varied, without prejudice to both donors and recipients, for as long as they agree on their contract. The person of means may or not continue giving free piglets under this condition. It's his own money and he can decide his own program of dispersal. For purposes of charity, this type of dispersal should also be encouraged, as this also promotes the local economy since pig raising will be made available to other families. We will be happy to collaborate with individual persons who can do this kind of of dispersal, as we can make arrangement under loan-a-piglet scheme discussed elsewhere in this study.
(2) As a form of dole-outs during disasters. Usually, this is done by the government or charitable agencies. After big floods, typhoons, fires, earthquakes, or moonsoon rains, many people are dislocated and find themselves unable to start a new life. One help is to distribute piglets to affected families, without any precondition whatsoever. The recipients takes care of their own pigs and rear them and make a create their livelihood all by themselves. They need not return any piglet to the government or original agency that donated the original pig. Sometimes the Red Cross and similar organizations are involved in this endeavor.
(3) As a form of church-assisted charities. In some cases, some churches, both catholic and protestants involved themselves in piglets dispersal. They select the needy recipients and give them free piglets to help support their families, but the burden of raising the pigs rest with them. In many cases, due to absence of close supervision, the recipients are forced to sell or eat the pigs, due to poverty. No records were kept as to the success of livelihoods given to these needy families. But as a form of dole-outs, at least, emergencey needs were met, on temporary basis, without consideration to the future. The needy in this case just waits for another piglets dispersal to survive repeatedly.
(4) As a form of promoting feeds and related products from large manufactuers. Large companies encouraged farmers to raise pigs and chickens which are given free to them under the company arrangement or policy that the farmers will use their branded-feeds and related products. An exact timetable is set for the collection or buyouts of the animals ready for slaughter or sale by the companies. This assures the farmer of a ready market for their raised animals. It's all a business proposition, favoring both he companies and the raiser-farmers.
BEST METHOD TO MAXIMIZE DONATIONYou may be rich but you are also practical. Donating & giving is one of the noblest traits of man. It is generally a sunk or spent cost, but for a good cause and benefit to mankind. But there are some types of giving that can be maximized. This piglet recycle charity program is the best method in maximizing donation. Instead of helping just one family, the initial giving is actually growing and will be able to help further many families in the future, because of the productive nature of pigs. One free piglet today becomes 2 free piglets next year, 4 piglets next, then 8 next, then 16 on the 5th year, and so on. That's where the beauty of such giving lies. Just one seed-donation and you are able to help 31 cumulative families on the 5th year, and it will still grow, as the years go by. It's a very simple solution to alleviate poverty and boost the local economy and accelerate giving livelihood to the people. We adhere to the saying: Give man a fish and he eats for one day. Teach a man how to fish and he will have food in his home rest of his life, not just one day. It's really the difference between doleouts and giving livelihood. With the piglets recycle program, only one donation is needed and this will multiply as the years go by. The old practice of just giving piglet without recycling is plain doleout.
FILIPINO DONATION CULTURES
We can change the culture or behavior patterns of the Pilipino. One culture or attitude that need be changed or developed is continue helping others. If somebody helps your family, you must also extend the same help to other families. If one is given a piglet now, he must also give one or 2 piglets to other families after one year. In essence, we are developing that culture or behavior, of self-help and helping others along the way, thru the guidance of our volunteers and beneficiaries themselves.
SOME PAST ANIMAL DISPERSALS & THEIR EXPERIENCE.
One reader reported, "Your ideas have been proven and the animal dispersal program are standard of the rural bank and cooperative organizations. The Philippines has a long history of animal dispersal and we have the 'Kabuhian Livelihood Program' started in Iloilo by the Pavia Baptist Church and the Santa Monica Parish in 1977 covering 15 Baranggays. This include different kinds of animals to include chicken, pogo or quiale, turkey, goats, pigs, rabbits, and ducks/geese. The same concept was spread to Mindanao through the Baptist Church in their Upland Livelihood Program in Bansalan, Davao. Similar projects were also undertaken by numerous cooperatives in Laguna and Batangas and later on were supported by the Rural Banks association of the Philippines with matching funds from Central Bank through their rediscounting program. What was missing of course was the development of a finished product industry. Animal dispersal is also 'risk dispersal' so the finished product was never incorporated. The Malaysians and the Thais learned this from our experience, so they developed the finish products for export quality. We can discuss many ways of applying the various experiences in this field of food production and with the OFC environment, the potentials are better for a global market approach."
WHY DID PREVIOUS PIGLETS DISPERSALS FAIL.
Skeptics are asking why pigs dispersal fail in the past. Pig dispersals for the poor is not a new concept in the Philippines. The government & many charitable organizations have done this in the past for many years since the 70s. But majority of remarks from those who have been involved or have experienced it, or those who knew how they were operated before are not encouraging. They say the program was a failure in most cases, due to failure of the beneficiaries or recipients to raise their pigs and continue deriving livelihood from such donations. Selected recipients came from those who cannot afford to raise the pigs, due to high cost of water, pig pens, space and feeds, most of all. Donors could not also sustain such initial expenses. The donated pigs were generally sold or eaten, thereby terminating the charity for that individual. Even if the beneficiary are able to continue until the first births of piglets, supervision and followup are lacking from the donors or donor-organizations. The required return of 1 or 2 or 3 piglets, depending on the agreement, are not often implemented due to this lack of supervision. Such returned piglets should had been re-distributed to future recipeints, but such actions were generally forgotten and abandoned. These are lessons that will not be repeated by our Piglets Recycle Charity Program. Close partnership has to be established among Donors+ Volunteers+ Recipients in all stages of development and future activities.
We are curious as to whether those past aninmal dispersal programs required the return of 2 piglets, or even one piglet after first birth, for further dispersal to other recipients, and the cycle repeated continuously. That's our dilemma. We have heard of failures of past programs, but not enough details about how the programs were pursued and implemented. The key that we were looking for is whether or not they supervised closely the return or replenishment of piglets. We will never know. We just have to reinvent ourselves and do a kind of Piglets Dispersals that will be closely supervised, monitored, and implemented year in and year out, without stopping, by maintaining that partnership of Donors + Volunteers + Recipients. We know that this time, we will revolutionize the piglets dispersal program under this new revitalized scheme. Regarding the finished product industry, that is something else. But we still believe that this livelihood will boost the local economy and will spark agro-industrial activity in the countryside. There's too much idle manpower in our rural areas that an economic activity must really be ignited.
THEY JUST GAVE FREE ANIMALS AS DOLE-OUTS
One reader described his past project as follows:
"The Animal Dispersal Program we undertook was in Five (5) Phases:
Phase 1: Animal Shelter Construction and Inspection:
Phase 2: Preparatory and Initial Operation
Phase 3: Production & Multiplication
Phase 4: Finished Products & Expansion
Phase 5: By-Products & Dispersal
For several years after starting with 5 Barangays out of the 15, the most successful was the Broiler Chicken Operation and the Goat. The Chicken requires a hatchery and the Swine needs both feeds supplies which after almost 25 years are still operational and being managed by a good friend and neighbor at the Pavia Public Market. I used to have a Hatchery operation for chicken, turkey, quiale, ducks, fighting cocks and a balot/penoy by product with a complete feeds and vetmed supplies at my Commercial Bldg. where I have a restaurant and a bar where the by-products are sold aside from the regular customers weekly-supplied. I had a 100-Broiler/week production capacity and a separte 100 Layers. For four years the operation went well I was asked to work on the Puerto Azul Project in Ternate Cavite in 1979. Presently, my 'Organic Farm' is more extensive with goats as 'mowing and clean-up' and we are practicing the 'Weekly-Harvest' and eventually reach the ultimate 'Daily-Harvest' system."
This is our comment about the above report. We believe that merely giving free piglet or animal to a recipient should not be the main goal or end goal. In fact, it is just the start of a long process. More work is needed to see to it that the agreement is implemented regarding the return of 2 piglets, and future contracts and agreements are continuously monitored in the years to come, under that partnership of donors+ volunteers+ recipients.
LIMITED FUNDS IS NOT A PROBLEM TO NEW PIGLETS RECYLE PROGRAM
The type of project described in past dispersals required huge capital expenditures, animal shelter or bldg, and most likely raising & breeding the required animals and having them produce the eggs, piglets, baby goats, etc, for final dispersal to recipients. And that a company was organized for that purpose, whether a coop or a private corporation, with officers and employees and hired help. Maybe it included vehicles and transport equipment and other support facilities. And that the company had ample funds to run the operation. The funds probably came from donations or foundations or big civic clubs. That's a very ideal setup, as all financial and logistical supports are present.
Unfortunately, we are not ready to do that, for obvious reasons. We are all abroad. Our internet membership are spread in many countries. We merely run a core in Brooklyn NY. All our activities are conducted via emails. We only have a trusted volunteer-overseer and volunteer-helpers in selected towns. Lastly, we have very limited funds. It comes in small donations and small trickles from people who believe in the project, and who have that kindred spirit to help the mother country.
Precisely because of limited funds, we envisioned our Free Piglets Recycle Program, in such a way that limited funds is not a hindrance to potential growth, due to productive nature or prolific nature of the pig. No other farm animal has that ability to multiply and pruduce a very satifactory return on investment. Animal dispersal, per se, is not the end and all of this program. The recipient must involved himself to further disperse 2 piglets out of the births of his pig. This process must continue for future recipients, without letup, under a so-called self-help culture or attitude, because of the inherent quality of Pinoys to help, after they had been helped by others, in an unbroken chain. We are fortunate today that there is internet. Our Free Piglets Rollover Program would not have been possible without the internet. And you can start it with one piglet.
But we are not entirely disregarding the so-called Finished Product Industries. Because, ultimately, we will encourage those successful recipients to grow their personal industries and engage in many other activites in their own territories, to become productive and boost the economy and spread the benefit to all sectors of society. If we dont start now, when? And the initial giving is so little. You dont need to give the money to us. We have no formal organization. In fact, you dont need one. You do it yourself in your own province or town. We offer assistance to whoever will start their own project. No strings attached.
STORIES ABOUT SOME PAST ANIMAL PROJECTS
One reader reported, "I got started from a four-layer incubator made from Paete, Laguna. It grew into a diversified project as more people got interested. We were focused on the end results of providing successful livelihood and secondary income for families. Thus extending them the 'starters' will eventually be in need of feeds and supplies and eventually a market they can sell their product at a 'controlled price'. The concept of a 'weekly output' was better for small growers' compared to 'contract growing' which was common to Vitarich, Robina, etc. Having a diversified production of quail eggs, turkey, ducks, etc. (all needs an incubator) allows them to realize profitability which encourages them to pursue a sustainable operation. Animal shelter is important in a tropical climate and this will greatly impact mortality rate and the health of animals. Sanitation is a neighborhood concern and waste products have to be well managed to prevent spread of flies and other vermins. The processing or slaughter process also requires to meet health standards. For piggery operation to reach gestation and piglet production, a special shelter is required, which I am sure your other investors are familiar. Piggery operation requires a veterenarian on-call and dietary supplements are needed by sows during their pregnancy period. A methane or bio-fuel system can also be incorporated to manage effluents and waste products. A Smoke house for ham production may be collectively be operated to allow growers to control price and allow export potentials. Its an investment worth considering if you guys are serious about making people successful or at least the odds can be reduced to realize an ROI."
DISPERSAL VS RECYCLE, AS EXPRESSION.
During our fundraising drive, we try to contact as many friends, associates, relatives and co-workers. In our exchange of emails, we almost always hear of past piglets dispersal projects that failed in the past. The word "Dispersal" has almost come to be associated with "Failure", through no fault of anybody. The bad connotation stuck. On further search and comments from their emails, we finally concluded that the failure was caused mostly by failure to follow up or pursue the program, specially the giving back of piglets for distribtuion to other families. Most of the project proponents abandon the monitoring and the continuation of the succeeding give-aways. Piglets Dispersal to them means one time dispersal. They thought, they had accomplished their goal of helping the poor, who cannot even manage to feed the piglet. The recipient is forced to sell or eat the pig, thereby terminating the dispersal and the agreement with that individual. Due to such failures, we will limit use of word Dispersal. As much as possible, we will avoid it, due to its unpleasant connotation. First give-away or first dispersal of piglets is not the end-all of our program. We do not give away piglets and just forget the recipients. We give away piglets and continue to assist the recipients and make him/her accomplish the obligatory part of the agreement to give back to the project, and also make him a volunteer. We will now call it PIGLETS RECYCLE PROGRAM, to give emphasis on the word RECYCLE , as that's the main objective of the project, to roll over the charity year-in and year-out, under the partnership of donors+ volunteers+ recipients. In fact, our main goal is to watch the continuation of future give-aways, on the basis of geometric progression of the doubling of give-aways almost every year, until we attain a relatively good level of population of pigs in our own locality or region.
ONLY FOR THE WILLING & ABLE, NOT FOR THE POOR YET.
Our program is long range and the poor is our ultimate goal. We will try to accelerate our project to spread the future disperals a little faster. At least, we have started it and closely monitoring the progress. The poverty level (below $1.00 per day income) in RP is about 30% of the population. We have carefully taken poverty into consideration. Poverty is getting worse every year. It's easy to see the record via google search about RP poverty situation.
As a small group, we cannot tackle this poverty question, except by MAXIMIZING the potential of our measly funds. The lowly pig is our good companion in our search for maximizing our funds. Si kaibigan PIG ang tunay natin katulong para tayo ay makatulong sa mahihirap sa kinabukasan. Kung ibibigay natin ang piglet sa poorest of the poor at hindi niya kayang alagaan ito, ang tulong natin ay plain dole-out, charity or giving alms, pure and simple, na siyang iniiwasan natin sa ating concepts and goals. Kung dole-outs lamang ang mangyayari ay walang magbibigay ng abuloy o donation sa ating program.
To alleviate poverty in RP should be the ultimate goal in the not too distant future if we succeed now. We need a SPARK to ignite the economy, because the government is is no longer reliable and politicians have forgotten their main real roles of providing jobs to majority of the people. We believe that we are igniting the local economy and that it will help boost the living conditions and ultimately the purchasing power of the poor. Our concepts and goals will promote the setting up of coops as way to democratize wealth in the province. Future employment or livelihood for the pooerest of the poor will include farm produce of camotes, vege, etc as ingredients for feeds, construction of water systems, sheds and pigpens, and other support industries, too many to mention. Those jobs will never materialize if we dont know how to manage our funds now.
Hindi muna natin mabibigyan ng biik ang poorest of the poor sa ngayon. Maybe, after a few years more. Based on our research and inquiries about similar piglets dispersal projects in the past, the most common failure is caused by eating the pigs or selling the pigs, thereby stopping the continuation of the program. Ang sabi nila, nakatulong naman sila sa mahihirap. Puede rin natin gawin din yun. Bakit hindi? Pero, alam na alam natin ang mangyayari, na pareho din failure ang mangyayari. Bakit tayo papasok sa failure na program? We must learn from the mistakes of the past dispersals. Magagawa siguro yun ng Rotary Club and similar rich organizations, na malaki ang charity funds. Tayo ay hirap na hirap mag-raise ng funds. So, we must learn how to maximize the funds and make it grow thru the productive ability of the pigs. Kung gagastusin natin lahat ang pondo natin sa poorest, yan ay magiging pure charity. Hindi social welfare ang ating project. Hindi dole-outs ang ating project. Kung pure dole-outs ang ating project, walang katapusan ang pagbibigay ng doleouts. Kasi hindi ito lumalaki ayon sa ating plano.
We already defined the qualifications of the recipients in our website, not so poor but not well-off also. It must be a person or family that can provide space, pigpen and water & feeds, specially during the initial year. We have decided that the poor cannot qualify. But it doesnt mean the poor is forgotten in the whole program. In fact, the poor is the ULTIMATE target. But it will be sometime later, if we can prove that the agro-industrial activity will be developed in our locality, based on the pork meat industry. We repeat. In our program, we will double the population of pigs and recipients every year. Example: In year 1, it is 100 pigs, then year 2, 200 pigs, then year 3, 400 pigs, then year 4, 800 pigs, then 1600 pigs on the 5th year, and it doesnt even stop there. Can you imagine 1600 families helped. Ang dami na yan. Siguro naman, kasama na diyan yung poorest of the poor, because maunlad na ang livelihood. Magkakaroon ng maraming claseng trabajo, like planting corn, camotes, vege na kailangan sa feeds, construciton of big sheds, abattoir, water system, methane gas production, etc
NOT SOCIAL WELFARE PROJECT BUT EMPLOYMENT BOOSTER
Our project is not meant to be a social welfare project, or dole-outs. Ours is something related to igniting the local economy and creating more jobs and improve the living conditions. It's more related to trying to eradicate poverty in the long run, based on very limited collected funds, but maximizing them nevertheless. Which one will the donor support, the one that helps MANY FAMILIES or the one that helps only ONE OR TWO FAMILIES?The real purpose of our project is to decrease poverty of the majority, not just one family or few families. We may not be able to do total eradication of poverty but at least we are trying our best. We are doing this by MAXIMIZING the potential of all our efforts and donations. Konting pondo lang, pero ang impact ay malaki. If our pondo is just small and spend it in one or 2 families, without results, it will be useless to talk or engage in projects like this, asking our community or membership of this group to donate to a useless cause. Helping a family or 2 could be done individually by anybody. Direct help can be given by any concerned person, without passing thru a group. We will not stop anybody from helping directly to their chosen beneficiary. In other words, if somebody wants to give a piglet to the most disadvantaged family, he must assume all the support to be given to this family by giving himspace (maybe rented space), pigpen, water system, and feeds for one year, plus insemmination. Anybody abroad can ask his relative locally to monitor his giving and progress of his own little project.He doesnt have to involve our group, as we have very limited funds.The piglets project is a partnership of DONORS+ VOLUNTEERS + RECIPIENTS. The recipients that we have selected are actually donating their space, pigpens, water systems and feeds, because they have smalltime jobs of their own. They should be people from the ranks of drivers, mechanics, laborers, tinderas, tinderos, fishermen, farmers, seamstresses. tailors, guards, sitters, cooks, and other parttime jobs enough to support the raising of pigs. Those who cannot afford to raise the pigs are exempted from this program, as we are not a social welfare agency. Let's repeat that our goal is to stimulate the local economy and that this good economy will trickle down to the poor in the long run. In future years, we can be proud to say, "Walang poor sa Pilipinas!"
BENEFICIARY IS ALSO A FUTURE DONOR
This commentary was made by a project proponent who will start another piglets program in Daet, Camarines Norte in 2007:
"If the piglets project were a dole out program, I wouldn’t have thrown my support behind the effort (which is gaining momentum, by the way) to replicate it in Daet. I completely agree with you that projects like this prevent nobody from providing direct financial assistance to “the poorest of the poor”, as some of your donors apparently prefer. There’s nothing wrong with not having the poorest as the target beneficiary of the project, as long as it has been made clear to the donors, supporters, volunteers, and potential recipients.
You have articulated this a number of times, but it begs reiteration - the real intent of the project is not to give away piglets for the sole benefit of the recipient, but to perpetuate the act of giving for the long term benefit of the community. Each recipient is expected, and pledges, to effectively be a donor in turn. Therefore it is essential that they are capable of fulfilling their end of the deal.
It is very important to emphasize to the recipients that they are not being awarded a free piglet, but being entrusted with one, that they are participating in a community effort to alleviate poverty. In fact instead of referring to them as recipients it might be more appropriate to call them partners which, as future donors, they are. Louie Paita"
PROJECTS FOR THE POOR BY ONE WRITER
Mirian Magana Hernandez is Head of Planning & Development of Talisay Municipal Government was kind enough to share the following information, in Aug 3, 2007 thru our Talisayonako Egroup:
"Dear everyone,
I would like to share my views on the poverty reduction programs being initiated by the government (national and local) and some foreign funding institutions, who, like the talisayon group would like to give to the less fortunate in the community.
Right now, there are programs for hunger mitigation given by the national and local governments like providing free vegetable seeds and planting materials for backyard gardens, giving 4 hens and 1 rooster for at least 100 households who are living below poverty level, distributing 1 kilo of rice everyday to public elementary school students in kinder and grade 1. Feeding programs for day care children.
In Talisay, alone, we have established vegetable production , relending program and milk production in 9 CBRM barangays with funds coming from the World Bank to sustain the riverbank rehabilitation project. We have been given almost Php 2.4 M from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction in Southern Philippines as support fund for the ADB funded Php 26.0M road rehabilitation project which are distributed to goat production, carabao/cow dispersal, layer production , poultry raising and vegetable production focusing on gabi. This are being managed by Peoples Organization (PO's) composed of what we termed as "Poorest of the Poor". The LGU just signed a Memorandum of Agreement last July 31, as one of the two recipients in Cam Norte, the other one who has an approved proposal is San Viente, of the ASSEF Project (Agriculture Support, Social and Environmental Fund) of the Spanish Government thru NEDA to established a solar dryer cum barangay road in San Jose which will pass to Del Carmen and will eventually benefit farmers in that area since next proposal we are going to submit is for farm inputs and implements including tools and equipments like hand tractors.
Actually, there are many programs for the marginalized sector, another term for poorest of the poor.The problem is the attitude of the people who like to have it "already cooked for eating", meaning, yung wala na silang pagpapaguran pa which is not good. Actually, the government is already tired of spoonfeeding the poor and giving dole outs since they became tamad. We are now encouraging stakeholders (the recepients or beneficiaries) to have counterparts or a little share they can afford to give them the feeling of malasakit in the program. Even the term recipient has been changed to stakeholders, because if you are a stakeholder, it means you have a stake in the project and as a co-owner, you will not let your stake to be wasted so you will have a feeling of co-ownership. If recipient, you have nothing to loose if the program fails.
Helping the marginalized sector is really a tough job and will take more time. In some projects, we started trainings with values orientation. In PO's, we also add some trainings on simple accounting and bookkeeping as well as Leadership trainings. We have to make this PO's productive, self-reliant and sustainable so we can proceed to other sectors who also need some help.
Really, this group is helping the people who could provide a counterpart fund because the project requires some expenses for the recipients but it doesn't mean they are well-off. They are just masinop and little enterprising. Understandably, if i dont have the capacity to take care of the piglet, even if i like, i will not volunteer to raise one.Maybe, another program could be initiated, one without any gastos from the recipients, like the goat raising or native chicken raising could be given further study so the mjarginalized sector of the society could be given a chance to participate. Anyway, there are many possibilities waiting to be explored. Basing from our experience in giving livelihood programs, kung talagang mahirap ang isang pamilya, we should accept the fact na mas uunahin pa nila ang maghanap ng kanilang makakain araw-araw kesa humanap ng dagdag na kagastusan at pakainin. Mas konti ang obligasyon, mas mabuti po yun sa kanila.Diyan po nauubos ang pera ng gobyerno sa dole-outs kaya ngayon, nagbago na ng strategy, dapat may share na ang stakeholders sa lahat ng ibinibigay na programa para mas marami ang mabigyan ng intervention
FAILURES - SHARED BY SAME WRITER
Miraim M. Herandez shares the following obeservation, in her 3 emails dated Aug. 11/07:
(First Email) "Sorry po for my late reply. I was on travel the other week until Wednesday last week so I wasn't able to answer emails and also di makasend sa office so I have to do the emails in the netcaf of Vernie San Jose in Daet but he is also from Talisay.
So far, there's no hog cholera cases in Cam Norte and we hope there will never be any case at all. About your query on the failure of dispersal project particularly pigs, the failure depends on the beneficiary. Dapat po kasi pagkatapos ng isang dispersal ipagpatuloy ng recepient ang pag-aalaga ng baboy. But after the recepient returned the 2 piglets share and hindi na tinuloy ang pag-alaga, dun po nagfail ang project. Maybe, the recipients should be reminded that after they returned the piglets, they should continue sa pagpapaanak ng baboy and try to add one inahin every time manganganak ito. The problem is that after they returned the 2 piglets, iisipin nila nakabayad na sila, they own the pig alrerady and forget the real intention of the project na ipagpatuloy nila at dagdagan pa kung pwede and inahin to produce more piglets. Its either they just be contented on one inahin and sell it afterwards without producing any replacement at all, so failure na at hindi na ipinagpatuloy. Mabuti po kung dagdagan pa nila para dumami pero baka po mahirapan naman sa pagpakain. Ang iba po kasi, kapag nakabigay na ng replacement, kung manganak ulit ang baboy lahat ipinagbibili at hindi nagtitira ng dagdag na gagawing inahin hanggang sa ang inahin na ang ipinagbili at wala ding itinirang kapalit, dun po nagfail ang project. We cannot tell the recipient on what to do with the pigs since they already own it, di po ba? Just like we cannot compel them to add more inahin or continue with the program if they do not like to do it so walang sustainability. What we can do , maybe, is continue the dialogue and monitoring with the recepients and always remind them to sustain the project and produce more, if it is possible for them so the chain of the dispersal will not be broken and they will continue benefit from it."
(2nd Email) "I forgot to answer pala about the animal dispersal. The goat and carabao dispersal are group projects but the goats were distributed to the association first. The organization has a share in the proceeds whenever the goats will be sold. The other offsprings will also be distributed to all the members, in the long run, so everyone will benefit from it.
On the carabao dispersal, the members will return one offspring to the association to be given to other members. The association willl be the one in-charge for the sustainability of the program."
(3rd Email) "I know po that this group wanted to give a little help to make a difference. The reason why I enumerated some government projects is to let you all know that the marginalized sector were never forgotten and there are many social and livelihood programs for them. We are more than happy that private group like this are also our partner in providing beneficial programs that will help uplifting their economic condition. Kung nagfail man po minsan ang project and the people continue to be poor is their own choice.
Gusto nga po namin ang private-sector led development with the local government providing assistance and other services that the private sector cannot do like road and bridges construction, basic health services, electrification and water services. We really need private sector participation because the local government has a very limited income kaya we do a lot of project proposals for funding from other sources especially foreign assisted programs."
THE MATHEMATICS OF PROJECTIONS
The mathematics is very simple. The theory behind the program is that recycle of piglets doubles every year on the average, based on 2 pay-back piglets. One piglet donation grows like this:
First Year - 1 piglet or family helped
2nd Year - 2 piglets or families
3rd Year - 4 piglets or families
4th Year - 8 piglets or families
5th Year - 16 piglets or families
And growth goes on without end.
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Total cumulative - 1+2+4+8+16 = 31 piglets or families, after 5 years.
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Our purpose is to emphasize that with good management and faithful execution of the program, we can really make a big impact and improve the lives of many people, stimulate the economy, and increase the purchasing power of the of the ordinary man. The above projection needs some explanations below:
1) It is next to impossible to have 100% Success Rate. The figure of 31 cumulative total is too optimistic because of mortality rate from sickness, inability to breed, etc. We cannot discount possible theft and eating the pigs by the recipients. All things considered, it is safe to assume 50% Success Rate. this means we can recover 16 piglets or families helped, after 5 years, instead of 31 piglets. Still, 16 piglets is a very comfortable figure, coming from just one piglet original donation.
2) The positive input not yet considered in above calculations is the fact that pigs can
give 2 births in one year. We have considered only one birth per year above. This can accelerate the program in short number of years.
3) 100 piglets donation in one town is enough to help 1600 families in 5 years, or 3200 in 6 years, or 6400 families in 7 years. We dont even need to go beyond 5 years, as the town will be saturated with pigs. It is enough that the families are given opportunity to save capital from their backyard piggeries, and engage in different forms of livelihoods or buseness later on.
We never knew that we had discovered a gold mine in this piglet project, in terms of
charity and helping our people.
MICRO-FINANCE
Come to think of it, we are doing MICRO FINANCE OR MICRO BANKING, without
really knowing it. Micro banking had been successful in third world countries, like
India and Bangladesh, and some Pinoy groups have applied it in Mindanao and Bicol.
If you search micro banking or finance at Wikipedia, you will understand how it operates. They give small loans to small entrepreneurs form the poor sector and charge very little interest. In this way, people are able to do livelihood activities and augment their incomes. But they have to maintain an office, employ managers and collect repayments + interest, so that they can relend to others. Collection of loans could present problems.
In our piglets project, we also micro-finance the recipient, but the BIG DIFFERENCE is that we give FREE FINANCE, in the form of a piglet, costing on average about $50. It's not a loan, but require paying back 2 piglets after one year, for distribution to other recipients, under the same contractual obligation.
The other BIG DIFFERENCE is we do not maintain an office and employ managers. But instead, we use volunteers. The other BIG DIFFERENCE is that we don't require a big capitalization and need not comply with corporate and banking laws before we can start a micro banking operation. These are complicated organizations and require very messy preparation before a group can start the operation. We have avoided all these under own style of FREE PIGLETS PROGRAM, which is simple and fast and based on openness, honesty and transparency.
EXISTING PROGRAMS
