A group of fisher folks from the town of Kalibo, Aklan sent us a short video message expressing their gratitude to the donors who made it possible for them to have a new motorized boat to be used for fishing.
In August 2014, Small Hands transferred a total of P50,000 to Dambana Philippines (an ecumenical organization that also provides emergency response to disasters) for the Bangka ng Pagbangon Project. The recipients of this project are members of Pamalakaya New Buswang in the above mentioned town. The first batch of recipients composes of 6 members who take turns in managing the boat once a week. The recipients have also agreed to an arrangement that would allow them to allot a portion of their earnings to a fund to be used for the maintenance of the boat as well as other emergencies of the organization.
The actual total cost of the whole motorized boat is eighty thousand six hundred ninety pesos (P80,690.00). This includes Casco, gasoline fueled engine, generator and other fishing gear components. To complete the boat, other funds were sourced out from other donors.
Currently, the boat had already sailed and had already provided income for the team. As this is the pilot project, a study would be conducted by the organization on the feasiblity of the operation of the team. Recommendations then would serve as the basis for the next endeavor and would serve as learning exerience to lay the foundation for further development of the production teams.
Here is the video message from the recipients:
Again, we would like to thank everyone who has participated in this project through their donations as well as by sharing our appeal to their family and friends. It is our collective little efforts that help change the world for other people for the better. Let’s keep doing that.