Eco-Entrepreneurial Green Communities, Inc. (EEGCI) and Humanist Alliance Philippines, International (HAPI) have been partners in building decent shelters for needy families of rural communities in the Philippines.
Known for declaring Valladolid, Negros Occidental as the pilot area in Visayas of Green Township Project under the Village Eco-Governance Development Framework, EEGCI has made another dream come true when they paid a visit to Barangay Antipolo of Pontivedra in the morning of February 3, 2018.
Sally Gitano, a 55-year old laundress, is in tears as she was chosen to be the fourth beneficiary of EEGCI and HAPI Homes. She lives with Crispin Gitano, her husband, who is a sugarcane farm help earning PHP 600.00 (approximately USD 12.00) each week he works to weed and harvest somebody else’s land. The couple has been living in a shanty for fifteen years, lacking the means to restore their home due to meager salaries.
After a few hours of hammering away, Sally and her husband looked with awe at their new home. It is made of sawali (mats of twilled and flattened bamboo strips), nipa (coconut palm leaves), and bamboo stems. The thankful couple now has something more pleasant to look forward to every day they earn a living.
EEGCI Community Development Officers and volunteers capped off the mission with a simple spread of Laswa (Ilonggo vegetable soup) and fried Galunggong (mackerel scad) to celebrate another accomplishment in the name of goodness and care for the needy.
Arturo Alvarez, HAPI Green Movement Director and HAPI Kabankalan Lead Convener, chairs EEGCI.
The Author
McJarwin Cayacap
- HAPI Metro Manila Member
- Web Content Editor
- National Events Director
- Public Relations Officer
Currently in between careers, he busies himself with anything that works for the good of humanity. Other than being a humanist, he is a realist, an art aficionado, a frugal foodie and a weary wanderer. He looks forward to working in the central government.
