In hopes of a better future, at one point in his life, Abdulla Alaj took the risk and ventured to Malaysia where he became a foreign worker engaged in carpentry work despite lacking the necessary work permits. One year later, he was identified by national authorities and deported back to the Philippines.
Struggling to cope with the demands of life and the few opportunities for livelihood in Sama Bajau communities, he was grateful to have received from CFSI a livelihood support kit with fishing equipment. He immediately started sewing a fish net and shared, “Matagal ko na po itong pangarap [na] magkaroon ng klaseng net, kaya lang medyo mahal po ito. Kaya marami pong salamat sa tulong ninyo. (For a long time I had wanted to have this kind of fishing net but it’s too expensive for me. Thank you so much for your help.)”
At present, Abdulla is now staying with his family in Arena Blanco, Zamboanga City. With the livelihood assistance helping him settle back into ease of being home, the future looks brighter for Abdulla who finally has the tools for a better catch at life.
Abdulla is among the Sama Bajaus in Zamboanga who are being assisted by Community and Family Services International (CFSI), in partnership with the European Union (EU), through the Sama Bajau Capacity Strengthening Project (SBCSP). The SBCSP aims to contribute to the protection of Sama Bajaus from being at risk of statelessness, through four components including the adoption of environmentally sustainable. The program targets some 300 Sama Bajau families or roughly 1,500 individuals.
To learn more about the SBCSP, click here to view the Project Brief.
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This publication was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of CFSI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.