Programs & Services
Natural Resource Management and Environmental Protection
Recognizing its roots as a sustainability mechanism of the Libuganon River Reforestation Project from 1993 to 1997, Kasilak continues to promote environment and natural resource management as one of its flagship programs. Kasilak believes that a healthy and ecologically-balanced environment is needed for economic prosperity and the upliftment of the living conditions of rural communities. Because of this, Kasilak engages in a number of projects that promote the care of the environment. To date, it has led the planting of more than two (2) million trees and the rehabilitation/restoration of forests, rivers, creeks and mangrove areas in Mindanao. In so doing, it has helped communities become stronger as they engage in sustainable livelihood activities that do not damage their surroundings.
Support to Basic Social Services
This program aims at improving access of assisted/partner communities to basic social services especially on education, health, nutrition and WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) in partnership / collaboration with different resource organizations and development players. This also seeks to contribute to achieving SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 3 (Good Health & Well-Being), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 6 (Clean Water & Sanitation), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
Education
Education has always been an important component of Kasilak’s programs and advocacies. Support/interventions under education include Adopt-A-School Program (banner program), Brigada Eskwela, scholarship (under BEIF), and school building construction and/or rehabilitation. To date, it has facilitated the release of millions of pesos in supporting/providing educational materials such as books, science laboratory equipment, computers, educational media sets, etc. to more than 150 adopted schools under its Adopt-A-School Program (ASP) since 2000 and 500 schools under its Brigada Eskwela since 2014. It has provided scholarship support (through BEIF) to 76 deserving pupils/students since 2012. Kasilak has also helped rehabilitate and repair school buildings and classrooms, giving students a better environment in which to learn.
Health
For Kasilak, the health of the people in rural communities where it operates is of utmost importance. It embarks on regular community health outreaches that bring medical volunteers like doctors, nurses, and other health professionals directly to the people who need medical care. It also supports in providing the needed medical supplies and equipment to government health facilities (hospitals, RHUs, etc.) to help improve their service delivery. To accomplish its advocacy, Kasilak has partnered with international and local donors/partners for the medical volunteers and medical supplies/equipment and works with local government units and other groups to help ensure that the partner communities are also involved in finding solutions to their health needs. All in all, hundreds of health facilities (RHUs, government hospitals) have received medical supply support and thousands of individuals have received medical attention right in their communities since Kasilak was founded.
Nutrition
In its aim to contribute to zero hunger (Sustainable Development Goal #2) in its assisted/partner communities, the foundation has partnered with various development groups for its nutrition program including supplemental feeding which also aims at improving the nutritional status, health and wellbeing of school children. Thousands of students have benefitted from these programs, graduating from school equipped with greater sense of their role in nation-building.
WASH
Promoting access to clean water as basic human right, Kasilak has been implementing development projects and humanitarian responses that help improve access of marginalized (and/or disaster impacted) communities to clean water, sanitation and hygiene. Kasilak has popularized the construction of “Banga Pinoy” Ferrocement Water Tank Technology as an initiative to improve access to water through stable water supply storage. To date, more that 200 “Banga Pinoy”/water storage facilities have been constructed/rehabilitated improving water access of rural communities and industries to clean water. This intervention enables partner communities to express their solidarity and spirit of volunteerism at the same time enhance their community/family hygiene, farm productivity and natural resource management. Kasilak continuously links and partners with resource organizations to further the objective of this development intervention. Kasilak believes that engaging various development players, stakeholders and resource providers create more opportunities for program collaboration and resource complementation.
Community Livelihood and Enterprise Development
Kasilak engages in community livelihood and enterprise development in recognition of the fact that while other stakeholders such as the business communities create local employment in areas in which they operate, they cannot address all the economic needs of the people in the communities. To help them, Kasilak creates opportunities for income augmentation and other sources of livelihood, including plastic strip weaving, cooperative development, livestock dispersal, cacao growing, coffee processing, and even worm culture. Over the years, hundreds of individuals have benefitted from these development interventions and undertakings. Kasilak continues to find ways for people to rise up from difficulty and become more active in building their communities — one project at a time.
Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Response
When tropical storm Sendong and typhoon Pablo hit Mindanao within a year of each other in 2011 and 2012, Kasilak saw the need to include humanitarian assistance/disaster response and climate change adaptation in its roster of programs and services. Extending humanitarian assistance/disaster response has become a natural course of action of the Foundation especially since its corporate-partner, Dole Philippines Inc., Stanfilco Division, and its markets from Japan, Korea, New Zealand, China, and other countries would send large numbers of relief goods each time major disaster struck. Since then, Kasilak, in collaboration with other development partners and stakeholders, has responded to numerous calamities in Mindanao, ranging from typhoons to earthquakes. The foundation even reached the Visayas when super typhoon Yolanda struck in 2013. Partnering with government agencies and private groups, Kasilak makes sure relief and assistance get to the victims in a timely manner.
Program Coverage / Areas of Operation
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