A total of eight (8) Units of Solar Dryers were formally turned-over to Barangay Kinebeka in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao in a ceremony held on 26 February 2019. Three of these units were awarded to the Indigenous People (IP) communities.
“This undertaking will strengthen the relationship between the Bangsamoro and Indigenous People here in our community,” said Sulon Atong, member of the Joint Task Forces on Camps Transformation (JTFCT) for Camp Badre. “We thank Allah for these projects. May we protect and take good care of what have been bestowed upon us,” as he addressed to the people in the community in his speech.
The five (5) units of Solar Dryer amounting to Php 1,347,216.78 was built by Angkat Construction, the service provider for the particular project. Meanwhile, the three (3) units determined for the IP Communities costs a sum of Php 499,986.75.
Engr. Nasser Sinarimbo, Project Coordinator of the Community and Family Services International (CFSI) for Mindanao Trust Fund- Reconstruction and Development Project Phase II (MTF-RDP/2), addressed in his message that these efforts were anchored with the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB). “These projects are manifestations of the will and love of Allah for the community,” he said. On behalf of the implementers and donors I would like to express my gratitude for all your continuous support in our endeavours,” he concluded.
“As the head of the People’s organization of Barangay Kinebeka, I can assure you that we shall preserve, develop and nurture all the projects which were offered to us,” said MATADO People’s Organization President, Roger Usman, Jr. “These ventures do not only give us structures but enormous duties and responsibilities which we should try to uphold as community members and officers,” he added.
Rice and corn are the primary agricultural products of the said community. After harvest, these crops typically contain a high amount of water. The drying procedure diminishes the moisture content to have a safe quality for storage.
Before the construction of Solar Dryers, the residents used to lay a trapal (a plastic water-proof sheet) on the ground to dry their goods. But the plastic had some adverse effects on the products. At the present, the community may have the benefit of the infrastructure project. The construction of the dryers has increased their production.
The solar dryers for the IPs served as an income generating mechanism for the community where they collect Five Pesos for every sack of rice or corn dried using the structure. The IP organization plans to replicate the same project or similar instances when their collections become sufficient. This aims for the sustainability of the said venture initiated through the MTF-RDP/2 Project.
Moreover, the IP solar dryer unit located at Sitio Puti is placed adjacent to the Warehouse with Solar Dryer constructed during the first phase of MTF-RDP. This is to complement the profits of the previous project to the community.
Barangay Kinebeka is situated at the Camp Badre, the second site in the said camp to hold a turn-over rite. Camp Badre is one of the six previously acknowledged camps of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) along with Camp Abubakar as-Siddique, Camp Bilal, Camp Bushra, Camp Omar and Camp Rajamuda.
These efforts are implemented as part of the initiatives under MTF-RDP/2. This is funded by The World Bank through the Mindanao Trust Fund (MTF), a project partnership agreement between the Community and Family Services International (CFSI) and the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA).
The MTF-RDP/2 implementation is in accordance with the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro (CAB). This seeks to improve access of identified beneficiary communities in conflict-affected areas in Mindanao to basic socio-economic infrastructure and alternative learning system.
The MTF is a multi-donor trust fund supported by benefactors such as the European Union, the government of Sweden, Australia, Canada, United States, New Zealand and the World Bank. The World Bank functions as Trust Fund Administrator of the MTF.
In support to the objectives of the MTF-RDP/2, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) provided complementary assistance directly to CFSI through the project referred to as “Supporting Access to Basic Services and Building Institutional Capacity in Conflict Affected Areas in Mindanao.”