World Vision implements food security project in Samar

World Vision Philippines launched the Food for Education with Agricultural Development and Sustainability or FORWARD project in its assisted area in Sta. Rita municipality in the province of Samar.

During this COVID-19 pandemic, the worst affected are families who only relied on their income on a daily basis. These include farming families in rural areas. In Sta. Rita, most of the families got food from their own produce or from the income they get from their harvests. Other families also relied from carpentry and other odd jobs which only provided daily earning.

The community quarantine protocols disrupted the income of these daily wage earners, making food supply for their own family’s consumption uncertain for the next months.

To address the food security gap of families in the municipality, the organization launched the FORWARD project. It aims to enable selected families to have access of food for their homes.

The organization assist the families by providing rice assistance and vegetable/crop seeds, promotion of backyard gardening, assist in product marketing, and promotion of health and nutrition especially among children.The Municipal Agricultural Office of Sta. Rita also donated vegetable seeds to the families as a counterpart of the project.

The families who received the vegetable seeds have already started planting and some are already harvesting their produce. These families will no longer miss a healthy meal each day.

To ensure sustainability, the initial recipients of the FORWARD Project who are able to nurture their own vegetable garden will give back seeds/produce to other families who can start their own garden as well.

According to World Vision’s Impact of COVID-19 to Children and their Families nationwide rapid assessment study, 68% of the household are not able to fully meet food expenses. 10% of children eat less than three meals a day. This project is one of World Vision’s efforts to address this food security concern.