SNKGI TRAINS ON WATER LILY WEAVING

The Antipolo Seminary Foundation, Inc. (ASF), in partnership with The Villar Foundation's "Sipag at Tiyaga Caravan", conducted a Water Lily Weaving Training workshop from May 11 to 13, 2011. Twenty-two (22) members and leaders of the Samahan ng Nagkakaisang Kababaihan ng Guinayang, Inc. (SNKGI), a local women's organization in Gravel Pit, Barangay Guinayang, San Mateo, Rizal, participated in this three-day community-based training.

This training activity is part of the ASF's capability building component that seeks to empower women. It sought to assist and prepare the SNKGI in establishing their Water Lily handicraft production and trading livelihood project. The participants learned the processes of harvesting raw materials, drying the stalks, flattening and preparing them for weaving. By the end of this three-day activity, the participants produced products such as baskets, trays and slippers.

Water hyacinth, commonly known as water lilies, is readily available in ponds near the community. These ponds were left by a commercial gravel mining activity in the area during early 90's. This glossy-green, fast growing, inedible aquatic plant is able to tolerate high levels of pollution in all types of freshwater. Their uncontrolled growth results in the following problem; clogs water flow resulting in flooding in the community; it blocks sunlight from reaching other aquatic plants and depletes oxygen in the water, thus killing fish and other aquatic life; and, the plants and stagnant water also provides a habitat for mosquito, the classic carrier of disease.

Through this livelihood project, the community hopes to contribute in controlling the water lily population. Excess plants will be cleared to promote water flow, minimize flooding and prevent the proliferation of disease carrying mosquito.

In the long run, the project hopes to provide women members an additional income to augment the needs of their families, and support the organization's other community project such as the SNKGI Daycare Center.

To enable them to develop their project management skills, a series of additional training activities on product development and marketing, project and financial management are also scheduled for the leaders and members of the SNKGI.