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Successful people’s orgs meet,
share best practices
Davao City - Aside from being a battlefield of countless wars, Mindanao is also a graveyard of many failed experiments in trying to build peace and uplift the conditions of its people.
Thus, nine People’s Organizations (POs), each with inspiring successes in the search for peace and reducing poverty took center stage to share their best practices during the 3rd Civil Society Organizations Forum held last September 19-21 at the Marco Polo Davao.
Organized by The Invisible Link, an informal coalition of CSOs in Mindanao, the Forum anchored on the theme “Championing and Celebrating Community Best Practices for Peace and Development.” The forum highlighted people-led initiatives across Mindanao, particularly in strife-torn areas, which have considerably uplifted people’s lives and promoted the culture of peace.
Among the nine peoples organizations are the Tri-People Youth Organization (TPYO) of Barangay Liliongan, Carmen, North Cotabato; Ginatilan, Nalapaan, Panicupan, Lagunde, Dalingawen, Takepan and Kalakakan (GiNaPaLaDTaKa) of Pikit and ITTIHAD Multi-purpose Cooperative of Lombayao, Balindong, Lanao del Sur.
Other presenters are; Al-Amanah Women Association of Matampay, Munai, Lanao dle Sur, Muslim-Kristian Vendors (MuKrisVA) of Cotabato City and Sultan Kudarat; and the Sumbakil Multi-purpose Cooperative of South Cotabato.
Successful peace and development stories shared by the nine POs dwelt on economic and livelihood upliftment, women and youth empowerment, peace building and community action and advocacy.
The Invisible Link, in a statement, added that the forum showcased effective participatory mechanisms by focusing on people-led activities, which can be adapted by other institutions to strengthen development initiatives of other agencies in the long run.
“The forum aimed to foster better relationships among POs, Local Government Units (LGUs), government agencies, resource providers and the academe by learning and actually experiencing with stakeholders the important processes in building the culture of peace,” said Dam Vertido of the Mindanao Land Foundation (Min Land), one of the forum’s organizers.
Noraniah M. Mipangcat of ITTIHAD Multipurpose Cooperative, one of the presenters said the forum was important as the they would be able to know each other’s success stories and recap their experiences so that they would share it to their members when they return to their communities.
Mokamad Q. Kussain of MuKrisVA, another presenter, said the forum showed that peace and development is each other’s responsibility and not just a wish of a single person but a collective aspiration of the people tired of conflict.
(PIA-XI/RG Alama)
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Noraniah M. Mipangcat of the Ittihad Multipurpose Cooperative proudly shares their successful story in helping improve the life of community members starting with their regular 25-centavo contribution.
Economic and livelihood group distills the lessons and insights to help improve work in communities. 
