WAND Foundation

 Aiming to launch a Common Service Facility for small-scale farmers The project is aimed at providing common service facility for small-scale farmers living in the interior of Naawan and neighboring Manticao municipalities who are engaged in growing cacao, coffee, corn and turmeric. These farm products are readily available, however farm-gate prices are controlled by middlemen and are very low. Shelf-life of farm products is also very low adding to its low price. However an opportunity arise in that the products are easily processed and the shelf-life is prolonged at the same time providing tremendous value. For example a kilo of raw turmeric here sells for pesos 15 while the powdered counterpart sells for pesos 1,200 (10 kilos raw = 1 kilo powdered, so price per kilo is pesos 120). The shelf-life for powdered turmeric is 2 years. Cacao too when made into tablea sells very high compared to when farmers sells beans. Including organic corn coffee, these products have high demand in t...

 Promoting cacao as one of the high-valued crops viable under coconut farms ; Warm greetings and thank you very much for your generous support to our project providing pump-priming assistance to coconut-based women entrepreneurs. This initiative is gaining traction as our barrios are mostly coconut-producing and with planting distance of 10 meters x 10 meters, there is a lot of agro-economic activity that can be done in order to improve the productivity of the farm. There are high-valued crops that can be grown aside from vegetables and this reporting period we are promoting the growing of cacao and then providing value by the processing of cacao fruits into artisanal chocolates. cacao grows well in partially-shaded area and our country is one of the places where cacao grows well. We aim to include 500 women entrepreneurs in this venture, later on organizing them as a local association. Hoping for your continuing support.

 One of our initiatives is to assist small-scale coconut farming families. Below is an update; Warmest greetings and thank you very much for your generous support to our initiative helping women coconut farmers. This project assumes great significance especially this time when the Coronavirus pandemic is still spreading, wrecking havoc to health and wellness of individuals and specially affecting those who are very poor and economically deprived. This reporting period, we scale-up our product processing and marketing effort of raw products grown under coconuts with the enrollment of one of our active leaders to an entrepreneurship course organized by the government. One of the products of the course is the consolidation of raw products that can be grown under coconut trees such as corn, turmeric, ginger and lemon grass and produce organic coffee with the aim also of benefiting directly growers of these products. At a distance of 10 square meters coconut planting, there are a lot of...

 Our food delivery for the elderly during this Coronavirus pandemic is on-going. Please see update below; Warm greetings and thank you very much for your generosity in providing us the means to reach-out and support the elderly during this challenging times. The Coronavirus pandemic has resulted in lock-downs and community quarantines depriving people to move around and look for work. The economy is at a very dangerous low-turn and we really don't know if a solution by means of a vaccine is on sight. Our health system is already close to being overwhelmed and thank you very much for your kindness and generosity, we are able to launch our initiative to provide food delivery for the elderly. Food is scarce here and the elderly is most often at a disadvantage and our support is very much needed. This reporting period, thanks so much for your generosity, we are able to provide packed meals to 300 elderly in 3 villages. Hoping for your continuing generosity.

 The benefits of gardening especially during this time of the Coronavirus pandemic; Vegetables are needed by the body. Vegetables are full of vitamins and minerals. Many Filipinos are deficient in vegetable consumption even if vegetables are easy to grow. The average consumption of Filipinos of green leafy vegetables is 12.4 kilos while our body needs 32.4 kilos (Food Nutrition and Research Institute data). The main reason why Filipinos do not eat vegetables is their ignorance about the importance of vegetables in our nutrition and diet. Raising vegetables means less expense and more savings for the family. Vegetable gardening unites the family as the members of the family raise vegetables together. It also relieves stress and depression. Vegetables grown around the house are much more safer than the vegetables one buys in the market. Especially this time with restrictions to movement is curtailed, growing food in the home is indeed very practical. Vegetable gardening will help one...

 Warmest greetings to all. Today we are officially launching our newest project providing support to the elderly affected by the Coronavirus pandemic. The details are below; "The project will provide food security, health, nutrition and income during this time of the Coronavirus pandemic to 350 elderly people and their families in Manticao Municipality in Misamis Oriental. The coming months will be particularly difficult for them in terms of access to food as government help is dwindling and there is no let-up in the negative impact of the pandemic. The project will provide food security via backyard vegetable gardening and root crop production on the very short-term and onwards as some vegetables mature quickly. Aside from food and nutrition, vegetables and root crops will be source of much needed cash in the coming months. The elderly are prohibited from travel and backyard gardening will provide them much-needed leisure, physical exercise, ward-off boredom, enjoyment and improv...

 Greetings to all. This is the new site of the Water, Agroforestry, Nutrition and Development Foundation.