Creative Development Work During COVIDtimes
Ensuring fair value for produce
We want to share news about our friends in the Philippines, E-Care (Episcopal Church Action for Renewal and Empowerment), and the creative development work that they are doing during these times.
E-Care works with communities to help uncover strengths and assets (instead of moving into poor communities with money and expertise). After training, most of these communities set out on their own self-envisioned and self-empowered path to development. E-Care further built upon this foundation by providing pay-it-forward funding called R2G (Receiver-to-Giver). They recognized that as communities invest their own time, talent and resources, it creates a spirit of ‘ownership’ that is so vital to their long-term success. Communities that have received R2G funds have been incredibly successful not only in generating revenue, but in paying the money forward to the next qualified community.
During these COVID times E-Care remains true to this model. The stoppage of economic activities has brought many families to the brink of starvation as a result of loss of livelihoods. E-Care is partnering with communities and households to create opportunities for them to rise up out of this situation. Let’s look at the innovative ways they are achieving this:
Maximizing the ‘Gifts of the Hand’. E-Care supports local artisans by partnering with them so they can continue their work. Pre-orders and pre-payments have been made to ensure the artisan continues to produce goods. The PPE Project has also been keeping these artisans employed as they produce high in demand protective gear.
Keeping artisans employed
Labour Voucher System. Labour is an asset that only has value when it is performed. E-Care has converted future labor services into current value- commitment by providing services upon demand with notice. For example, they will build St. Agustine Episcopal Church in the future when restrictions will be lifted. In the meantime, they are offering ‘cash for labour’ vouchers that will be redeemable when they start construction. E-Care is also finding some positions for those who have lost their jobs. In the image below, these two jeepney drivers are being employed to help deliver produce to those in need.
Labour for those who have lost their jobs
Marketing of Community Products. Due to the ban on mass gatherings, the price of so called ‘party vegetables’ has dipped to way below production costs. Carrots dropped to two pesos ($US .04 cents) per kilo. To this date, 10 tons of vegetables have been purchased by E-Care at a price that enabled farmers to net an income. Many of these vegetables have been processed into food and drinks that have a longer shelf life.
Creating foods with longer shelf life
Times remain fragile and uncertain, but Five & Two has no doubt that E-Care will continue to create resilience in their communities and these communities will pull together during this pandemic.