CFSI, in partnership with Local Government Units (LGUs) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), recently conducted handover ceremonies for climate-resilient livelihoods to 1,550 Sama Bajau individuals across the municipalities of Panglima Estino, Luuk, and Kalingalan Caluang in Sulu. Envisaged to benefit the wider community and host communities, these livelihoods contribute to sustainable development and climate-resilient Sama Bajau communities.
“Hindi na namin kailangan maglakad ng apat na oras para magbenta ng isda. . Meron na kaming puwesto na kung saan di na kami matamaan ng araw at ulan.” Tabolloan Sambagi, Team Leader of Imbang Sama Bajau Association shared.
In the Municipality of Panglima Estino, Honorable Municipal Mayor Benshar Estino recognized the invaluable contribution of CFSI and UNHCR to the welfare of the Sama Bajau in Barangay Punay, noting that the tripartite collaboration has brought transformative change to the community. To further sustain this progress, he pledged to provide additional PHP 100,000.00 as initial capital for the Sama Bajau Association in Barangay Punay to augment their livelihood requirements. With this, the Association Team Leader Alan Aming expressed his gratitude to all the partners present for their support to the association and the IP communities.
In the Municipality of Luuk, the handover ceremony was spearheaded by Municipal Engineer Henry Siraji, who also serves as the Municipal Focal Person overseeing the livelihood support in Barangay Bual and Sitio Taindi in Barangay Kanmindus. Engineer Siraji highlighted that the flea market will not only boost economic activities of the Sama Bajau in Bual but also strengthen social cohesion between Sama Bajau and Tausog communities. He commended the strong partnership among LGU, CFSI, UNHCR and BLGUs of Bual and Taindi, Kanmindus that made the initiative a reality, and encouraged the Tausog residents to support the Sama Bajau in their livelihood endeavors.
“Hindi na namin kailangan maglakad ng apat na oras para magbenta ng isda. . Meron na kaming puwesto na kung saan di na kami matamaan ng araw at ulan.” Tabolloan Sambagi, Team Leader of Imbang Sama Bajau Association shared.
(We no longer need to walk for four hours to sell our catch. Now, we have a dedicated space to display our goods, protected from the scorching heat and heavy rains.)
Meanwhile, a multi-purpose hall on stilts in the island barangay of Kanminuds is expected to be completed by the end of April, with the LGU helping to ensure a sturdy and durable multi-purpose hall with LGU counterparts allocate to meet quality standards.
On behalf of the LGU of Kalingalan Caluang, Municipal Planning and Development Coordinator (MPDC) Adzmihar Akbi expressed sincere gratitude to CFSI and UNHCR for the meaningful partnership. He emphasized that the newly completed facility will greatly benefit the Sama Bajau community in Barangay Pitogo, supporting their livelihood and collective activities. He also expressed hope for more collaborative projects to further uplift the Sama Bajau communities in the municipality.
This initiative is part of the Birth Registration Project (BRP), implemented by CFSI and UNHCR Philippines under the Initiative for Promoting Digital Birth Registration funded by the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and Sulu. The initiative aims to facilitate the birth registration of 30,000 individuals across 50 municipalities and provide climate resilient and income diversified livelihood support to the 15 Sama Bajau communities in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.
–
Story by: Meriam Tedding, Project Coordinator/Head of Office