CONCEPTS & GOALS
LIVELIHOOD PROGRAM - FREE PIGLETS DISPERSAL
Sponsored by Talisayonako Group. http://groups/yahoo.com/group/talisayonako New York. March 30, 2007. Contact: job_elizes@yahoo.com
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I. MISSION STATEMENT
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The whole purpose of the Free Piglets Program is to provide means of livelihood or means of earning a living to affected jobless or poorly paid in our society in our beloved town of Talisay Camarines Norte. But it is not for the poorest of the poor, because they cannot afford to raise the pigs due high cost of feeds. The target is to stimulate the local economy, create jobs or livelihood, that will ultimately trickle the benefits to the poor under long term basis.
To do this, we are tapping the kind-heartedness and generosity of more fortunate individuals and families of Talisay and other towns of the province, including their friends and relatives from other places. The idea of wanting to assist our less fotunate brothers and sisters was initiated through a round-table discussion in the internet via exchange of emails and postings in our yahoogroup, that started in Sept.2006 at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/talisayonako .
A core group of less than 10 members started raising funds immediately, even without any project in mind, except the determination to be serious and sincere in its desire to help.
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II. PROJECT CONCEPT - FREE PIGLETS DISPERSAL
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The giving of free piglets to the poor is not a new concept. For the past 40 years or so, there were many programs like this throughout the Philippines specially in the rural areas sponsored by the govt & charitable organizations. The concept is very simple. The recipient takes care of his free piglet to breed and raise to maturity in about 7 months. It is then insemminated, artifically or otherwise, and become pregnant for about 4 months. It produces or delivers 6 to 16 piglets. The piglets are nursed for about 45 days (1.5 months) and ready for disposal or sale or for fattening. The recipient is obligated to pay back to our group, 2 or 3 breeder-piglets, for eventual give-aways to other recipients. After that, the recipient will own the original pig pus all future piglets. He can continue expanding his piggery and hire poor people to help him.
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III. TALISAYONAKO INTERNET GROUP - PIGLETS PROGRAM
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Our Piglets Program is patterned after the above concept. But the process is really not that simple. We had to go thru the following phases of activities:
(1) ORGANIZATION - We have no formal organization. We are just an internet group, consisting of members, who email each other all over the world, with no known addresses for most of them, except countries of location. While some members suggested that we form a non-profit corporation or company, we felt that this will just divert our attention from the pressing need to go immediately into fund-raising and send the money to Talisay and start helping in the livelihood of people, without too much fanfare and time-wasting formal organization. All that was required is quick action, serious intentions and sincerity.
Everything is above board, transparent for all to see and examine, with full description of the project in this website, listing of all donors and donations, and how the money is spent, without any secrecy whatsoever. There is no President, or any officer of the group, except the leadership of a core group, based in Brooklyn NY, that meets regularly in one member's home. Through exchange of ideas and emails, all decisions by the core group will be subject to approval by the internet group, with the expressed tacit agreement that silence or no objections from the group will mean approval of such decisions, as it is almost impossible to secure the so-called majority votes by emails.
All members of the internet group have a voice in this project. Whether donors or not, they are entitled to voice their opinions and express approval or disapproval of actions made by the core group. The project is all ours, and not by any individual person. It is project of Talisayonako Group. The power of the internet has made this possible, with all members participating, and supportive of this cause, either by donations, by helping in the campaign, by praying for its success, by contacting their friends and relatives and spreading the good news of this venture to all persons they meet.
(2) FUND-RAISING - Fund raising was started sometime in September 2006 by asking all the members of Talisayonako Group to help in the campaign through their own giving or through thier relatives and friends. After collecting the initial funds, we were able to launch the First Batch of dispersal of 7 piglets to 7 families in Barangay Binanuan in February, 2007
(3) WHERE TO SEND DONATIONS: Pls email job_elizes@yahoo.com for instructions.
(4) FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT - The Core Group is very sensitive to possible complaints and doubts by the donors and members and their relatives/friends. The safety and security of all finances will the utmost concern in this regard. Please click Accounting/Donors page above.
(5) BANKS & SIGNATORIES - We have no formal organization. We have to depend on Personal Savings Account to be opened by our selected individual in Talisay. We cannot open a Bank Account under a formal organization. Forming a formal organization, electing officers, particularly a Treasurer, creating by-laws, paying the fees with SEC and lawyers would be too tedious and time-consuming. We cannot elect officers because the members of Talisayonako Group are spread all over the world. However, forming a formal organization will be carefully studied for future consideration. Members are encouraged to send their ideas.
So, we relied on recommendations by people we know in Talisay and by our own Core Group in Brooklyn. We selected one local volunteer of the project to handle the funds, with explicit rule that the bank book is in the hands of the bank.
(6) DEPOSITS & WITHDRAWALS - Withdrawals of funds cannot be made unless there is email-instructions to the local bank from the Core Group in NYC. The passbook will be in the hands of the local bank. Deposits may be done anytime by anybody without any restrictions.
(7) EXPENDITURES - All expenses must be reported to internet Group by email. Such expenses must have expressed approval before they are made. A petty cash fund is in the hands of that volunteer.
(8) PERIODIC ACCOUNTING - Finances and donations are listed in chronological order, as shown in our page, under Acctg/Donors.
(9A) TALISAY VOLUNTEERS - Without volunteers in Talisay to oversee the program, we cannot succeed. (9a) Selection & Interviews of Beneficiaries, and Personal Database & Lists - The selection of beneficiaries or recipients of piglets are left entirely to the discretion of our volunteers who will interview applicants in each barangay. At present, the main criteria for selection are as follows: (9a1) They can feed and raise the pigs and make it grow, have it insemminated after 7 months at their own expense, (9a2) They are not totally poor, but below middle-income level families. They have jobs, such as trike drivers, mechanics, laborers, tailors, seamstresses, sari store owners, farmers, etc. The raising of pig is a means to augment their incomes. (9a3) They can provide fenced area, water for the pigs, and minimal sanitation for this purpose in compliance with govt regulations. (9a4) They must sign our Dispersal Agreement or Contract,
(9B) Purchase of Piglets and Distribution to Beneficiaries - Purchase of piglets will be done by our Volunteer-Overseer, who will then set the date of distribution of the piglets, in close coordination with the Core group.
(9C) Recording, photos, and Instructions. During distribution of the piglets, the volunteers will record, take photos, give lectures and instructions, and send the news via email to the core group.
(9D) Monthly visit, monitoring and reporting - Close monitoring will be done by our Volunteers-Overseers, by assigning this task to officers and members of the beneficiary organization, so that they will learn the leadership and management by themselves.
(10) DONATIONS & OTHER SOURCES - Donations come from members of Talisayonako Group, from their relatives and friends, and from anybody who is interested to help.
(10a) List of Donors & Amounts & Dates - All donations will be properly recorded in the website. No one will be left unlisted. All donors are required to bookmark the website, which is accessible to the general public, at http://www.freewebs.com/tulungantayo
(10b) List of Names Honored by Donors (Talisayonako Original Idea) - The idea of honoring or remembering a loved one was initiated so that donations will have a lasting memory.
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IV. OVERALL GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
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The overall goal is really to raise the standard of living of the people in Talisay in the shortest time possible. Talisay is a 5th class municipality and considered as one of the poorest towns in the Philippines. The best way to do this is to develop agricultural industry, in which piggery projects or pig production will be developed in Talisay, along with the incidental industries related to pig production. Vigorous industry will spur other livelihoods, employment, increase purchasing power and help improve the economy.
The envisioned agricultural industry must be developed by the local people themselves. Leaders and followers will be developed from those beneficiaries and recipients of the free piglets. We, in the Talisayonako Internet Group, are merely activists/advocates and initiators and providers of inital free capital (piglets) and free instructions and suggestions. In other words, the people themselves must organized into a Cooperative, with the sole purpose of extending the free piglets to other less fortunate sectors of society, and thereby extend and continue the chain without stopping. They must formulate their own policies of giving free piglets to others, as this is the backbone of the whole exercise. Somebody improved their lots, so they must also improve the lots of others.
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