Typhoon Odette (Rai) Recovery Fund

Typhoon Odette (Rai) Recovery Fund

Mar 4, 2022 | Projects

Donate to the Long Term Recovery Fund

On Thursday, December 16th Category 5 Super Typhoon Odette (International name Rai) pummeled the Philippines primarily hitting the Visayas Region.

We are still waiting for word from all our partner farmers in Cebu Province. It has been three days of no contact so far. The damage to the province is extensive. We have heard from Harry and we are so glad he and the team at Arapal Farm in Northern Cebu are ok. Initial reports are showing total home loss, extensive structural damage, and it is likely all our partner farmers’ crops are destroyed. Water and food are going to be a long term concern and local reports are now saying communities hardest hit may be without electricity for months.

Today we are launching a Long Term Recovery Fund to support our partner farmers affected by Typhoon Odette and the future storms we know are coming our way.. We are painfully aware this typhoon will be followed by others, repeatedly putting our partner farmers’ lives and livelihoods at risk.. All funds raised will go directly to supporting them as they rise, rebuild their lives, and replant their crops again, and again, and again. Through the LTRF we will deliver the following:

Immediate Relief

  • Hygiene Kits
  • Solar Lights
  • Water Filters
  • Dry goods as requested and needed

Long-Term Recovery

  • Seeds will be shared with our farmers and partner NGOs also hard hit
  • Extensive Structural Repairs
  • Continued Seed Library Development and the Safety Back-Up of Regional Seeds
  • Farm Infrastructure Improvements Using More Secure Building Practices

After the immediate recovery efforts are complete, Global Seed Savers/Philippines will be on the ground to assist farmers as they rebuild their lives and revive farm production, which includes ensuring access to locally adapted seeds that can withstand and adapt to the realities of these intensifying storms.

We are grateful for any support you can provide and will continue to send updates as we hear more news from our partner farmers in Cebu!

-Global Donations can be made on this page
(This site processes Philippines Pesos, via card).

Donate to the Long Term Recovery Fund

Philippines Local Donations can me made to:

PH G-Cash via Karen Lee Hizola (Philippines Executive Director): 09275277370

Many Thanks,

Team GSS/P

ANG PAGTANOM UG BINHI | The Planting of Seed

ANG PAGTANOM UG BINHI | The Planting of Seed

Mar 3, 2022 | Food Sovereignty, Other Partners, Projects

Exploring the health implications of food sovereignty movements in the Philippines.

We are honored to have launched this collective project that has been many years in the making! The focus of this dynamic collaborative research project is to gather community stories of how connections to food, land, and seeds help individuals heal from historical trauma and build truly sovereign communities with strong health outcomes. Health in the broadest sense including: physical, mental, social, emotional, cultural, the health of the land, etc. 


Dr. Antonia Alvarez is a longtime friend and supporter of GSS and through her vision and leadership for this research, our collective work is underway. Guided by our local Design Team including Karen, our Philippines Executive Director, and Teresa the Executive Director of our partner NGO in Cebu CAFEi, we have been meeting for the last year to organize our vision for this work. Last month we launched the Community Advisory Board composed of 10 dynamic Filipino leaders in the food justice and seed sovereignty movement throughout the country. 

The CAB is made up of food advocates, NGO leaders, professors, doctors, indigenous people, and more. We will be conducting community interviews in the coming months and working with each of these partners to compile the interviews and stories unearthed. We look forward to sharing more as this project progresses. 

This collaboration with Global Seed Savers and CAFEi is a dream come true! For me, this project team centers on the ethic of community care, cultural healing/well-being, and food, which are three of my most beloved things! Each project partner brings with their deep commitment to the work, expertise related to food, health, and healing, and will help to make this project an amazing success. On a personal level, being able to do work back in my ancestral homelands of the Philippines with dear friends and colleagues is an incredibly moving, humbling experience, and especially as we are figuring out how to do this during the complicated times that we are in!

― Dr. Antonia Alvarez, Portland State University, Graduate School of Social Work

Hello GSSP Community, I am Sarah

Jun 16, 2021 | Staff Introduction

Hello everyone, I am Sarah Mae Sabado, and I am honored to become a part of Global Seed Savers Philippines (GSSP). I am behind most of the social media posts you have been receiving in the past few weeks and this newsletter! 

I write this post today to help you learn a little bit about me.

When I was young, I told myself that I would never work in an office, that I would always have control over my time, and that I would find work that served a greater good. I remember my mother saying that I would be so lucky if indeed, I find work like that.

Decades have passed since then, and I can say with confidence that I have achieved my childhood dream. Aside from a short stint as a coach at a call center, I have spent most of my life working in organizations dedicated to societal transformation. I am blessed to have found jobs that have helped expand my understanding of what it means to live and to be human. I am grateful to have met inspiring people who taught me that every single day we wake up is a new opportunity to make life better for future generations.

Today, I sound like an idealist, but I wasn’t always like this. There was a time when I was a pessimist when I thought everything that can go wrong, will go wrong. In recent years, I have considered myself a realist – things will happen as they will, and we simply have to deal with them. But I also learned that everything that happens, happens for a reason. I have learned that every challenge is a message, an opportunity to pay attention. And I have found that when I pay attention, I will always discover new things I never thought possible.

But these days, I think that how we deal with “stuff” is even more important than the outcome of our actions. “Am I doing this out of obligation? Or out of hope? Am I doing this because I believe that this makes a difference? Or because it simply needs to be completed? Can I make things better today?” These are questions I have to ask myself every day, to check where I am at and to align my daily intentions. Some days do not go well as planned, but I let it go. I have learned that the good and the bad days go hand-in-hand and that I derive great enjoyment from the good days because I had bad days to contrast it to.

I say this because it’s been a difficult year for everyone. And these days, when I work for GSSP, I always ask myself how the farmers are. Do they still have enough food on the table? Are they still able to provide for their basic needs? How are their children coping up with school? How can I use my platforms to speak for their plight? How can I make things better for them?

So yes, this is me, albeit just a small part. And these are the questions that I bring with me.

Happy Pride Month!

Happy Pride Month!

Jun 30, 2020 | Celebrating Pride

June is Pride Month but because of the pandemic, people are not able to celebrate like they have in the past.

When I was asked to write about June Pride, it took me a long time to decide what to write. But then it hit me. I should write a letter to myself. My 15-year-old self. I just hope this reaches people who need this. It’s definitely not a literary piece. But it’s real. It’s how I would have talked to myself if I were able to talk to me when I was 15. It took me years to come out. And when I did, my world changed for the better. Freedom does that. It changes everybody’s world for the better.

Why is this relevant? This is relevant because seeds bring people together. We’ve seen our work impact people from different backgrounds, races, beliefs, ages, and sexual orientations. Seeds have the power to create connections. We’ve witnessed that. There is nothing more beautiful than a world where everyone is food secure and where everyone is free to love who they love. We are committed to ushering a better world by the work we do—a world free from oppression, injustice, discrimination, hatred, anger, and violence. 

We at Global Seed Savers and Global Seed Savers Philippines are committed to holding a safe space for everyone no matter your religion, color, belief, race, age, and background. Join us!

 

Karen’s Letter to her 15-year-old self

Hey you,

Yes, I’m here. I’m okay.

I promised myself a few months ago that I would never give a blasé answer to anyone who asks me how I am doing. Not everyone is sincere about asking how I’m doing, I’m aware of that. And it’s likely not everyone is expecting a different answer than “I’m okay.” But taking the question as an opportunity to examine my state, though briefly, is important. And here are my reasons why.

As I write this, the noise of the world is so overwhelming that sometimes it’s difficult to hear yourself. Taking a minute to check in on yourself is important to gaining the skill in listening to knowing what you’re truly feeling. Second, answering the question by looking inward is a way of honoring the life that’s in you. Plus, it shows that you’re not dismissing the person asking you the question.

I want to check on you. How are you? You’re 15. You’re lonely and you need a hug.

I remember you. I was there when you thought you weren’t normal because you felt things that girls shouldn’t feel. I remember you hiding behind so many masks until you almost forgot who you were in the process. All because you couldn’t speak about your feelings to the people who mattered to you. To the people who needed to hear it the most. To the people you wanted to be loved by the most.

I remember you. I remember feeling so lonely that I couldn’t do any proper schoolwork. I remember you having to keep up a brave face every time you would hear snide remarks about your identity. I remember you dying so many times so people wouldn’t see who you were. See, I know you’re going through a very painful time trying to fit in but never being able to.

It’s going to get better. Trust me… Or trust you. You’re beautiful and you’re strong. Most importantly, you have a kind heart.

You won’t believe where I am now. Yes, the world is in the grip of a very unrelenting pandemic. To make matters worse, there’s so much injustice, bigotry, and anger. It’s palpable everywhere. But everywhere there are countless people being kind. Countless people going out of their way to help each other. And everywhere, tiny miracles are happening.

Oh. And you have friends. Real friends. Yes, you have friends.

You work for a wonderful organization that allows you to extend so much kindness to so many people. And you work with a great team. People of different backgrounds and stories just like yours. But you’re able to come together and produce beautiful results. The rainbow wouldn’t be a rainbow if it did not have different colors, after all! And your family knows about your love now and it’s okay. They love you. And I know that means the world to you.

What’s even better is that you’re with someone you love and who loves you. And she accepts everything about you and it’s okay. You’re safe now. You’re free.
Love,
Karen