Mayon volcano, as seen from the neighboorhood of Salvacion.
In November 2006, super typhoon Reming landed on the coasts of Bicol in the Philippines. The storm not only devastated the small town of Santo Domingo in Albay province, but its residents as well. Many of the families of Santo Domingo were sustained by their income from either the agricultural or fishing industries. In the wake of typhoon Reming, the citizens reluctantly succumbed to the aftereffects. The year’s crop yield was wiped out. Homes sustained irreparable damage. Fishing boats were tossed and turned and reduced to splinters. Families lost their livelihoods and their spirits were bruised.
Despite the havoc and subsequent challenge of rebuilding their lives and their town, the people of Santo Domingo remained indomitably optimistic. What was once a pristine shore with calm waters reflecting the majestic Mount Mayon volcano was now reduced to a smattering of debris from landslides and refuse washed out to sea, ravaged, then washed back ashore. Tattered child’s rubber sandals, destroyed fishing outriggers, and food packaging plastics littered the area.
It was the women of the Salvacion neighborhood that viewed this destruction as an opportunity for creation. The brightly-colored foils and plastics stood out in sharp contrast to the biodegradable debris. The mothers’ intuition set to motion a recovery effort that would quickly gain momentum and reach out to the community in ways that were not thought of directly after Reming.
The Beginning: Transforming Trash into Treasure
Mrs. Newhall leads a meeting with the Mothers' Society.
Born and raised in Naga, in Camarines Sur, Mrs. Glenda Newhall has always been an active member of the community. After serving as a Peace Corps volunteer during the 1970sin the health sector, she retired to the village of Salvacion. It was there that Newhall frequently volunteered at the health clinic in the Santo Domingo area and realized the need for development. She participated in regular meetings with the women from the community where the Salvacion Mothers’ Club was formed in 2005. Through this, the mothers of the community would have a forum in which to discuss and ideate solutions to the challenges and needs of the town. Priority issues were health, nutrition, and child welfare.
That following August came the Salvacion fiesta for which Newhall issued a challenge to the mothers—to create products from recycled materials. The mothers set up a booth to showcase their creationstothe public. After selling some of their items to locals, the mothers’ confidence grew and the possibility of generating substantial income from such an alternative livelihood seemed a promising venture.
The club quickly began growing in membership and strength, and the tragic event of typhoon Reming only helped to unify the mothers. Less than one year after the typhoon, the Salvacion Mothers’ Club was registered and became recognized as a legitimate non-profit organization under a new name, Barangay Salvacion Mothers’ Society, Inc. (BSMS) in 2007.The mothers’ original initiatives of health, nutrition, and child welfare were maintained and expanded to include education, environmental stewardship, entrepreneurship, and women’s empowerment. They began by focusing on developing the idea of recycled commercial products as an alternative livelihood for the families affected by the storm. And the small business idea of GarBAGs was born.
Non-biodegradable waste was collected by the mothers. Chip bags, coffee sachets, juice packs—anything and everything they could gather. Together they processed the discarded materials—cleaning, cutting, weaving, and sewing—and finished with a marketable product for sale. Clutch purses, messenger bags, sandals, wallets and more were some of the original designs created by the women. Their creative drive and innovation produced items that were not your average consumer good. The end products were not only surprisingly attractive with meticulous attention to detail, but were also a social statement for women’s empowerment, environmental awareness, and free trade.
Later that year, the BSMS gained an opportunity through the Ladies of St. Jude wherein they received a ten-thousand peso start-up donation, one sewing machine, and their first considerable order to be sold in Manila. A few months afterwards, GarBAGs availed of an in-kind donation from the Italian government of sewing machines and materials for their products. The group was gaining exposure and sales were increasing. Their creativity brought hope, figuratively and literally, to a bright and colorful future.
In the Now: Helping Families, Embracing the Community, Leaving Impressions
The improvements to their quality of life was validating and gave the women a sense of ownership; not only of the project, but of their own lives.The profits from sales went back into supporting the alternative livelihood and the women themselves. Their top priorities lied with the future generation of Salvacion, the children.
Where daily meals were once scarce, mothers were able to buy rice to feed their kids. They were also able to support the costs of keeping their sons and daughters in school; purchasing mandatory uniforms, text books, and other school supplies. Many of the victims of landslides were able to build a new house for their family or renovate the damaged portions for a safer, more inhabitable home.Where domestic disputes stemmed from financial hardship, altercations and conflicts were quelled. One group member even saved enough money from selling GarBAGs to support her husband and children, eventually financing their move back to their hometown on the island of Samar. The women of Salvacion witnessed these examples and found that their goals and aspirations were not out of their reach if they believed in their potential and committed themselves to diligent work.
In addition to the improvement of quality of life at home, the members of BSMS took part in trainings, seminars, and activities in the neighborhood. Skills workshops trained the women to develop their talents. Other activities included seminars on proper health practices and nutrition for children. A business management workshop was hosted at a nearby university to enhance the women’s understanding of finances, marketing, taxation, and other business practices applicable to GarBAGs. One summer, the women volunteered at a local elementary school at a literacy camp to encourage slow learners and engender an interest in learning among the youth. After which, they would take the students on field trips to the forest or river, incorporating environmental education with an excursion that the children were so rarely offered. Other volunteers at the camp included local students from the university that received community sponsorship. To continue this process of giving, the university students agreed to help sponsor another child’s education from Salvacion after graduation. This instilled a common compassion and paying-it-forward initiative in the community. A sentiment that, to this day, still continues.
The Future: Bright, Colorful, Still Smiling
The women meet to decide on the future of the Garbags project.
All stemming from the destruction wrought by typhoon Reming, Salvacion was rebuilding itself. Taking responsibility for its own future, and recreating their definition of the word community. This is by no means an ending to the story. After experiencing what they were capable of accomplishing, they would like to see it progress on a larger scale.
Weng, a BSMS member from its inception and former president of the Salvacion Mothers’ Club, confirms this notion. She says that she would like to see the business expand. To see it grow at a rate that necessitates relocation to a new property instead of operating out of the neighborhood’s multi-purpose hall. Their own property. She would like to see GarBAGs have its own production facility and its own boutique. She feels the need to share the empowerment with other women’s and mother’s groups throughout the Philippines so that they might be able to reap the financial and intangible benefits of working together for a common purpose. Communing with like-minded individuals and sharing skills and experiences can offer great relief and comforting support to the members. It can nurture individuals on their way to self-actualization and bolster their ambitions.
Through GarBAGs, the women of Salvacion have learned to take their development into their own hands, to reach out and support the community that they know and love, and to be steadfast and resilient in the face of obstacles. Your support along with the women’s unrelenting commitment towards a brighter future can make worlds of change for women, children, and the environment throughout the Philippines.