Pedalling to Live update

Virgenia Oral-Vidad, Programme Manager with the Pedalling to Live project developed by Columban Fr Oliver McCrossan, provides some good news about a number of ventures.

Photos: Virgenia Oral-Vidad

New beneficiaries of tricycles

Recently, the Pedalling to Live and Green Shelter Inc. released two tricycle units to new deserving drivers. The recipients are coming from a different barangay of Ozamiz City. The ‘rent to own a tricycle’ unit is able to give a livelihood to the tricycle drivers who are not given help by the government in terms of employment, livelihood and homes.

Monthly repayments amount to P60 ($1.52 AUD) a day and are deposited in the local cooperative 'Ozamiz City People’s Bank'. Portion of their payment will be used for medical assistance for their family if needed and for school supplies at the beginning of the school year. A portion of it will be used to buy another tricycle.

Hearing Impaired Livelihood Project

The Pedalling to Live and Green Shelter Inc assisted with the establishment of a small store for two hearing-impaired young professionals at Cotta beach in Ozamiz.

The capital of P25,000 ($632.00 AUD) financed the store, stock and utensils. The repayments of P500 ($12.65 AUD) per week are deposited in the local cooperative 'Ozamiz City People’s Bank' and will be used to finance another livelihood project.

On the first day of their business the new owners had 2,890 sales of siomai (steamed dumplings), juice, Porridge, banana que (fried brown sticky bananas) and hanging rice (rice wrapped in coconut leaves). They will each receive a salary of P200 ($5.06 AUD) each day. Their business hours are from 2.00 pm until 9.00 pm.

Since 2005, the hearing-impaired have been beneficiaries of The Pedalling to Live and Green Shelter Inc project for their school supplies and school fees. We hope that this year one of the members whose father was killed and who does not have any family will qualify for the housing program.

Organic farmers update

In the province of Zamboanga del Sur, the Pedalling to Live and Green Shelter Inc introduced an organic agricultural program that aims to avoid using harmful chemicals that contribute to the destruction of our mother earth. Its goal is also to provide food security to consumers.

Photos: Virgenia Oral-Vidad

Virgi met Prescilla Canas who shared her life as a farmer. Prescilla, a rice grower, used to farm her two hectares of land using chemical fertilizers and pesticides which cost her P50,000 ($1,264.00 AUD). The small return of 20 sacks of rice per season meant that she could not meet her monthly repayments to the lending institution which had financed the chemicals.

So Prescilla attended one of our orientation programs on organic agriculture and decided to shift from chemical farming to organic agriculture. With her new farming knowledge she was able to harvest more than 100 sacks of rice to sell directly to the consumer.

She continues practicing organic agriculture and helps the Pedalling to Live project in promoting organic agriculture to the neighbouring farmers.

Virgenia Oral-Vidad is the Programme Manager  for the Pedalling to Live project, Philippines.

Related links

2024 Columban Art Calendar

Code : 180

In Stock | CALENDAR

$10.00  

Calendar Dimensions: 220mm (W) x 320mm (H)

1 Calendar $10.00 Special Offer: Buy more than one Calendar and pay $8.00 for each additional one. 

See all products