Madamo gid nga salamat: How World Vision improved economic development in Iloilo

After 20 fruitful years, World Vision bids goodbye to its area programme in Iloilo. When the organization opened in the community in 1999, it sought to address some of the most pressing problems affecting children: poverty, malnutrition, disaster risks, education, and lack of livelihood opportunities. Two decades later, more than 6,368 children in Iloilo were sponsored and had access to their most basic needs. Students, parents, and community members were also involved in initiatives that aimed to improve their livelihood. These are some of their messages of hope:

“When World Vision arrived in our area, they offered a livelihood training. I was one of the participants of the fish processing training. We make our products multiple times a week. We make various fish products such as fish embutido, fish nuggets, fish lumpia and fish siomai. Before, I earn by accepting tailoring jobs, which didn’t provide a stable income. Now, I earn well and I spent my time productively. I also form a bond with my fellow mothers in the production center.”

– LORNA ANTONIO, COMMUNITY LEADER, WORLD VISION AP ILOILO ESTANCIA

“Before, the parents relied on lending and other money schemes. CoMSCA is a more convenient savings mechanism because they can borrow money for emergency purposes without going through long processes. For us, World Vision is our strength, our light, and it helps us solve our financial problems.”

– ESTHER MUNGGAO, BARANGAY KAGAWAD, ILOILO CITY

“I feel blessed because our projects here in Iloilo became a ray of hope to many families. We thank the families in the communities that we are serving, including our different partners and stakeholders for working with us and at the same time for assuring us that they will continue our initiatives and our projects. We also thank our donors and sponsors for allowing the children to experience fullness of life,” Careen Sampil, World Vision program manager in Iloilo said.

“We thank our former colleagues in World Vision who became part of the organization. We also thank our leaders in the organization who serve as our foundation as we implement different projects in the communities. We thank and glorify God for all the things He has done and for allowing us to be with Him in our walks towards the fullness of life of the families and children in Iloilo.”