Project
Accessing resources through cooperatives
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Amount Funded
175,048 EUROProject Duration
01 Mar 2022 - 31 Dec 2023 -
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Lead organisation
Rural Poor Institute for Land and Human Rights Services (RIGHTS) Inc.
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The organization was created in 2010 by human rights advocates who felt that there is a need to create an institution that will address the gross human rights violations perpetrated by the State and other non-state actors. At the time, peasants claiming their rights under the CARP were killed or charged with criminal cases to weaken their resolve in availing of their claims under the law.
The goals of the organization are: a) ensure equitable and secure access to and control over productive land and water resources, b)democratization of governance in the country, c) sustainable management of natural resources, d) rights conscious, just, and assertive citizenry. It envisions “A just, free, abundant, and democratic Philippine society, where people are adept, have secure and equitable access to productive resources, are stewards of nature and able to sustainably manage natural resources, and lives in peace and harmony together.” RIGHTS recognizes the value of communities and individuals to effect change and overcome the structures that hamper their collective growth. Central to RIGHTS advocacy campaigns and philosophy are the use of active non-violent actions to highlight the burning social inequality issues and engage the State to provide viable, responsive and participatory solutions to the issues. The use of non-violent means provides high ground to the issue, generates broader support from the public, lessen human suffering, facilitates the healing of divided communities, and is powerful tool against the naked use of force and impunity. Against countless human rights violations and abuses, RIGHTS has been consistent in engaging through nonviolent actions and demonstrated successfully its effectiveness, replicability, scalability, and sustainability. It started to incorporate the tactical and responsible use of social media in its campaigns and as a tool in providing protection to its human rights defenders and communities. The gender dimension of our advocacy campaigns are evident in many women-led local organizations and movements with women leaders and members playing dominant roles in the planning of strategies, tactics and activities the organization under took. Grassroots women’s role to the campaigns were crucial in defusing hostilities during high-tension encounters with armed anti-reform actors, creating spaces for dialogues and mediation, strengthening community protection, and sustain the advocacy for their right over the land.
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Organisation
The organization was created in 2010 by human rights advocates who felt that there is a need to create an institution that will address the gross human rights violations perpetrated by the State and other non-state actors. At the time, peasants claiming their rights under the CARP were killed or charged with criminal cases to weaken their resolve in availing of their claims under the law.
The goals of the organization are: a) ensure equitable and secure access to and control over productive land and water resources, b)democratization of governance in the country, c) sustainable management of natural resources, d) rights conscious, just, and assertive citizenry. It envisions “A just, free, abundant, and democratic Philippine society, where people are adept, have secure and equitable access to productive resources, are stewards of nature and able to sustainably manage natural resources, and lives in peace and harmony together.” RIGHTS recognizes the value of communities and individuals to effect change and overcome the structures that hamper their collective growth. Central to RIGHTS advocacy campaigns and philosophy are the use of active non-violent actions to highlight the burning social inequality issues and engage the State to provide viable, responsive and participatory solutions to the issues. The use of non-violent means provides high ground to the issue, generates broader support from the public, lessen human suffering, facilitates the healing of divided communities, and is powerful tool against the naked use of force and impunity. Against countless human rights violations and abuses, RIGHTS has been consistent in engaging through nonviolent actions and demonstrated successfully its effectiveness, replicability, scalability, and sustainability. It started to incorporate the tactical and responsible use of social media in its campaigns and as a tool in providing protection to its human rights defenders and communities. The gender dimension of our advocacy campaigns are evident in many women-led local organizations and movements with women leaders and members playing dominant roles in the planning of strategies, tactics and activities the organization under took. Grassroots women’s role to the campaigns were crucial in defusing hostilities during high-tension encounters with armed anti-reform actors, creating spaces for dialogues and mediation, strengthening community protection, and sustain the advocacy for their right over the land.
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Project
The project aims to create solidarity between rural and urban communities in the production, distribution and exchange of products, goods, services and knowledge that enhance their well-being, generate income and contribute to their local economies. Urban poor communities act as the hub in the promotion, distribution and exchange of products, goods and services from and to rural communities. Rural communities are usually at the losing end in the exchange of their products, with traders buying them at very low prices. They are not fairly and adequately compensated of their produce resulting them to be economically marginalized, dependent on traders and loan sharks on the marketing of goods and on the provision for credit. Urban communities have to bear on high prices of agricultural products like vegetables, fruits thereby forcing them to buy processed products, which have short and long-term effects on their health and economic well being. This proposal aims to connect the urban and rural communities in the spirit of solidarity to address the pressing issues on unemployment, high cost of food, lack of investments and access to credit to both communities, and inequalities both faced perennially. Crisis in the market system, whether local or international, brought by financial crunch, pandemic, political upheaval and current setup of exclusion in the economy grossly affect the poor both from the urban and rural communities. Urban and rural communities directly collaborate with
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The project aims to create solidarity between rural and urban communities in the production, distribution and exchange of products, goods, services and knowledge that enhance their well-being, generate income and contribute to their local economies. Urban poor communities act as the hub in the promotion, distribution and exchange of products, goods and services from and to rural communities. Rural communities are usually at the losing end in the exchange of their products, with traders buying them at very low prices. They are not fairly and adequately compensated of their produce resulting them to be economically marginalized, dependent on traders and loan sharks on the marketing of goods and on the provision for credit. Urban communities have to bear on high prices of agricultural products like vegetables, fruits thereby forcing them to buy processed products, which have short and long-term effects on their health and economic well being. This proposal aims to connect the urban and rural communities in the spirit of solidarity to address the pressing issues on unemployment, high cost of food, lack of investments and access to credit to both communities, and inequalities both faced perennially. Crisis in the market system, whether local or international, brought by financial crunch, pandemic, political upheaval and current setup of exclusion in the economy grossly affect the poor both from the urban and rural communities. Urban and rural communities directly collaborate with
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DAGYAWAN of Rural and Urban Solidarity
The project aims to create solidarity between rural and urban communities in the production, distribution and exchange of products, goods, services, and knowledge that enhance their well-being, generate income, and contribute to their local economies. Generated solidarity is expected to help address the pressing issues that linger in the community’s daily lives that bring inequalities both faced perennially. Thus, RIGHTS Inc. was able to conceptualize Rural and Urban Cooperation project by accessing resources.
RIGHTS, Inc.’s women-led partner organizations in Pasig City, Calaca City, and Tanay, Rizal as the identified Rights Holder Groups. This proposal takes off from the existing engagements of RIGHTS with the urban poor groups in Pasig on their access to housing, livelihood, and food security in the rural areas of Calaca and Tanay, Rizal.
Eight (8) organizations were empowered through capacity building, production support, rural mobilization, and networking as part of the entire organizing process. Collaborative access from the Local Government Units and National Agencies was also encouraged among the RHGs. In general, the concept of a Solidarity Economy is in the form of product matching and marketing among Rural and Urban communities.
From these efforts, the five (5) RHGs were empowered and were able to access livelihood projects with the local and national governments, particularly in Calaca City. Through the office of the Mayor, they were provided swine and poultry production, rice trading, and financial assistance in their vegetable production. To date, farmers are already producing where the increase of income through the livelihood projects provided is already prevalent.
One Women’s Organization in Pasig City was provided with their office building. In the same project area, through the assistance provided under the project, the three (3) conflicting groups for decades were united and mobilized to address their water rights issue. Presently, the LGU has already intervened with the new management composed of three organizations, which will assist in the repair of water facilities which will eventually lead to a minimum of 25% cost reduction of about 2000 consumer families in Floodway, Maybunga. For the housing rights issue, the 300 informal settler families were informed of their rights and the current housing programs for the families involved to decide.
In Tanay, the 1800 relocatees benefited from the impact of the project specifically on their electrification and water problems. Installation of electrical and water facilities were installed and are still continuously enhanced.
The trading had also commenced. Products from Rural areas were starting to take a sit in the urban areas. This start-up activity provided RGHs with cheaper food products.
To capture and provide a sustainable mechanism for this effort, RIGHTS facilitated the formation of DAGYAWAN, a national-level primary cooperative that includes the non-VOICE project-assisted areas to support the initiative.
Although rural-urban trading is a new practice among our RHGs, it is a confirmation that by employing the introduced system, there is a big possibility that we could provide cheaper and safer food among our RHGs. The initial practice also provides evidence that rural and urban communities can increase income. If this venue could be nourished and further support will be provided, this may provide an alternative economic system among our marginalized sector.
Although this alternative system provides a new window for our marginalized sectors, there is also a need to recognize that to ease the cost of marketing products, a family-based food system and local economy building is still the most feasible and sustainable method if we want to achieve food sovereignty. Trading of agricultural products at the national or international level would be extractive and destructive to our environment.
Going forward, political education is a must component of organizing, a cross-cutting strategy along the entire employed strategy and tactics to be able to survive and take place in the current trend of the country, while policy environment should be equally addressed.