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Cataag Compound, San Joaquin St., Ormoc City, Leyte, Philippines 6541
Tels. 63-053-255-3516 & 63-053-560-6441; Email: [email protected]

Ormoc Farmers for Freedom and Economic Reforms (Offer)

1991 was the year when the Philippine-Australian Community Assistance Program (Pacap) opened its doors to PFI and extended a grant not only for economic projects of the local partners but for their organization as well. For the first time since its inception, PFI was able to rent an office, acquire some office equipment and tables and hire the services of four community organizers.

These were fielded in seven villages to organize small farmers. It was observed that small farmers usually incur loans during planting time and these at usurious interest rates. Come harvest time, borrowers have to shell out a large portion of their harves to payy their loans, leaving very little for their own families' consumption. These loans have tied up the farmers to a vicious loan cycle from which they could not free themselves.

PFI's intervention involved a series of trainings, orientation and leadership development inputs. Only after several months would the loans be extended. This on the assumption that farmers had absorbed the inputs given during trainings. Loans for production were offered payable to their own organizations. PFI collected a small interest on their loans, while the organized groups were also able to generate their own seed capital. Many of these groups eventually cut off their dependence on the project, using their own built-up capital to fund their production activities.

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