MANILA, Philippines – What if instead of being just a venue for people to buy ingredients for the day’s meals, stalls in neighborhood wet markets can also be a source of information on nutrition?

For a small cooperative in Rizal, this is not a far-fetched goal.

Good Store stands out amid shacks not just because of its bright green color, but also because of its contribution to the community it’s part of.

The small store was established by the San Isidro Generating Livelihood Association (SIGLA) of Good Neighbors International Philippines (GNIP) – a non-governmental organization that focuses on helping underprivileged communities across the country – and is key in improving the situation in the area.

There are many malnourished children in the municipality tucked in the mountains of Rizal. What is more unfortunate, however, is that their parents aren’t aware they are already suffering from something that is life-threatening.

Jessica Pablo, SIGLA president and also a barangay health worker, utilizes her time tending the store by providing advice on how to ensure the healthy nutrition of residents. This may seem such a small task but it can produce far more important outcomes.

“Minsan makikita mo na iyong mga kasama nilang anak ang papayat kaya mararamdaman mo na responsibilidad rin naming tulungan sila,” she told Rappler. “Kaya kapag namimili sila rito, sinasabi ko kung ano iyong puwede nilang bilhin para maging nutritious iyong pagkain nila.”

(I see parents with their kids who are too thin and short for their age so I feel responsible about helping them. Whenever they go to our store, I give them advice on what they can buy to make their meals nutritious.)

To help the community, the prices in the store are less than what other stalls offer. 

Hitting two birds with one stone

Those who grew up in San Isidro say it wasn’t as crowded a few years ago. The natural disasters that recently caused severe destruction in nearby cities pushed people to relocate to the small municipality.

Now, with a bigger population and few sources of livelihood, poverty is very much evident in the area.

The landfill, a counterpart of Quezon City’s Payatas, is what most families depend on to make both ends meet.

There are men who wait for garbage trucks to dump the day’s trash for leftover food they can turn into hot meals of pagpag, not minding health risks.

“Walang-wala karamihan talaga dito,” community leader Christina Diesta explained. “Kaya kunwari iyong mga nasa gilid na basura, kakalkalin na para may makain lamang.” (The people here really do not have anything. You see those garbage mounds on the side? They scavenge through that just to have something to eat.)

Diesta has been resident of San Isidro for more than a decade already. She is witness to the effect of lack of opportunities in the area, aside from scavenging, if not going to the city, for jobs with little pay.

The group also saw the need to emphasize the importance of family farming to everyone, so in the long run, they will be able to implement sustainable and healthier options for the community. What better way to do so in a place where people go to buy food anyway?

SIGLA hopes to change the current situation by raising awareness on how families can earn money from small-scale farming. Good Store sources most of the goods – from bananas to barbeque sticks – they sell from local producers. These producer include family-owned backyard gardens and barangay livelihood programs, to name a few.

Their suppliers, Pablo said, often use their earnings to buy food supplies from the store too.

“Umiikot lang rin naman talaga ang pera,” she explained. “Kasi iyong binabayad namin sa kanila para sa goods nila, ginagamit din pambili ng pagkain mula sa amin.” (The money just goes around. They use the money we pay them for their goods to buy food from us also.)

However, they urge these families to prioritize their own food supply over giving to the store. Through this, they can practice sustainable living and veer away from risky actions just to fill their stomach.

“Sinasabihan namin sila na iyong tanim nila, gamitin nila para sa pamilya,” Pablo emphasized. “Kapag may sobra, saka nila ibenta dito sa Good Store.” (We always tell them to set aside enough from their gardens for their own families. If there is excess, then they can sell these to the Good Store.)

More in the future

As of January 2015, Good Store has 20 active suppliers. But the association has been getting requests from different communities and hopefully, they can accommodate this before the first quarter of 2015 ends.

“Malaking bagay sa kanila ito na may kinikita rin ang iba’t ibang community (It’s really a big deal for different communities that they earn already),” Pablo said.

SIGLA hopes in the future to expand their services and reach by providing capital – either in money or seedlings – to the farming families.

Through this, according to GNP’s field coordinator Jerlyn Arabiran, they will be able to maximize the potential of the residents who long for another source of income and nutritious food – away from the form of livelihood they are used to.

“Marami na talaga ang gustong sumali at magkaroon ng ibang pagkakakitaan,” she said. “Nabibigyan natin sila ng chance sa mas maayos na kinabukasan.” (A lot of people want to join and have a new form of livelihood. We are glad we are able to give them a chance to have a better future.) – Rappler.com

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