Community Outreach Projects
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The Plant Nursery Project
The Plant Nursery Project is a food and nutrition security initiative that provides free vegetable and herb seedlings to local communities in Siargao, Philippines. The project began in March 2020 following the island's COVID-19 lockdown and ran for 6 months. In addition to providing free seedlings, the Plant Nursery Project team developed and delivered workshops to local people on ‘seed saving’- the practice of collecting and saving seeds for future use. Seed saving workshops are still being offered on a request basis.
Key outputs of the project:
Click here to learn more about the Plant Nursery Project.
This project was led by Tyler Palov and myself, in partnership with lokal.lab. It was funded through donations from private donors.
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Mass Spay/Neuter & Vaccination Clinics
Overpopulation is the root cause of animal suffering in Siargao, Philippines. COVID-19 has made the problem worse, reducing people's ability to feed and care for companion animals. Growing numbers of companion animals are facing high mortality, malnutrition, abuse and disease. High numbers of stray and free-roaming animals are also linked to many social health issues, such as road accidents, animal bites, and dangerous diseases, like rabies.
To address issues related to overpopulation, Puppy Puddle Siargao and the Philippines Pet Birth Control Center hold annual mass sterilisation and anti-rabies vaccination clinics across Siargao island. Each event provides free spay/neuter surgeries, anti-rabies vaccinations, and skin disease treatment (mange) for cats and dogs of local pet owners, as well as for stray and free-roaming animals. These events are helping to reduce the number of unwanted and neglected animals, as well as the possibility of rabies transmission.
Click here for more information or to make a donation towards the next animal clinic.
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Video of fishers receiving donated fishing gear through Divers Give Back
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Divers Give Back
Super-typhoon Haiyan (or Typhoon Yolanda) devastated the Philippines in 2013. Many of the victims of Haiyan were small-scale fishers and coastal communities. The storm damaged or destroyed much of their fishing gear, thereby restricting a key source of food and income in the midst of one of Philippines' worst natural disasters.
Divers Give Back was created to provide relief aid for fishers from the fishing village of Tanauan, south of Tacloban City. With the help of Yolanda Shelter Support and through generous donations from divers and others, Divers Give Back sponsored a dozen fishing families from Tanauan village. Fishers were contacted directly to pinpoint their most important needs and to prioritize relief efforts. They were then provided priority fishing equipment and other necessities to get them back to fishing.
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