In Sitio Silupah, Panglima Sugala, Tawi-Tawi, the water is part of everyday life. It is also the route that families take to earn a living, bring home necessities, and get children to school.
That is why a fleet of yellow paddle boats is making a practical difference in the community.
The donated flat-bottom boats are now being used by residents for fishing, transporting food and water, and taking children to school. Their design allows them to move through local waters more easily, giving fisherfolk families better access to fishing areas and livelihood opportunities.
For children, the boats offer a safer and more comfortable way to travel. Instead of arriving at school after a difficult trip across the water, they can make the journey faster and with less exposure to getting wet along the way.
The project also creates work for local boatbuilders who build the boats, bringing another source of income into the community.
Behind the boats is a network of people and organizations that helped connect the project with families who needed them. Teacher-in-Charge Toni Aquino of Silupah Elementary School helped link the families with the initiative, while Tawi-Tawi Lead Implementer Jhoy de Asis-Omar and the MSU Tawi-Tawi Institute for Peace and Development in Mindanao provided support and partnership.
A boat may seem like a simple thing, but in Sitio Silupah, it can carry much more than people and supplies. It can carry a child to school, a fisherfolk family toward a day’s catch, or food and water home to a waiting family.
Projects like this show what practical community support can look like. If a group of donors and partners can help put useful tools into the hands of a community, your organization, workplace, school, or group of friends can find a way to support a community close to you, too.
