For the women in Barangay Diegas, municipality of Basilisa, Province of Dinagat Islands, every sunrise is an image of hope painted across the blue canvas of the sky. Before the implementation of LAWA at BINHI (Local Adaptation to Water Access and Breaking Insufficiency through Nutritious Harvest for the Impoverished), the women of Barangay Diegas had long struggled to establish sustainable livelihoods. For years, they relied on farming, fishing, and other means to. make ends meet. But they sought something more – something they could call their own.

 

In the said barangay, a project was proposed for the local Women’s Association through the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for an egg-laying production farm. However, while the approved project covered essential inputs such as battery cages, ready-to-lay (RTL) chickens, feeds, and vitamins, a crucial piece was missing – the construction of the poultry house itself. With no men available to build the facility, the project remained stalled or in limbo, unable to commence operations.

 

But hope is resilient, and so are the women of Barangay Diegas.

 

In June 2024, their aspirations took shape when LAWA at BINHI, a project of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Field Office Caraga, was introduced. In just 15 days, precisely the duration of the second stage of LAWA at BINHI’s implementation, the poultry house stood strong, ready to welcome the RTLs. With them, a long-held dream finally hatched—literally—as egg-laying production became operational. The barangay captain and local officials stepped in, personally taking on the carpentry work to bring the project to life.

 

“This is what we dreamed of—that we, as women, would have a project of our own,” said Erlinda Quimada, president of the Women’s Association in Barangay Diegas, her voice filled with pride and emotion.

 

With LAWA at BINHI in the community, it was as if the final piece of the puzzle had been set in place. Determined to flourish, they expand their efforts, cultivating a variety of crops like squash, sweet potatoes, bitter gourd, malunggay, and spices – all of which are sources of food. They even found a way to practice sustainability using chicken manures as organic fertilizer, ensuring that nothing goes to waste.

 

Now, with their egg-production facility in full swing, these women are no longer just dreamers. They are doers. They no longer wait for opportunities to come – they create them. Their goal? To become the main egg supplier in the Province of Dinagat Islands (PDI), showing that with determination, sense of ownership, and a common goal, anything is possible.

Quimada emphasized the importance of taking ownership of the project. “We will take care of this project provided by the DSWD because if we don’t, who else in the government will help us?” she said.

 

 

The story of LAWA at BINHI in Barangay Diegas is far more than a tale of egg-laying production. It is a story of women who dared to dream and refused to give up. A story of people who choose to thrive together. A story of support.

Above all, it is proof that when communities come together, dreams become reality. This is the essence of LAWA at BINHI – a commitment to support, serve, and empower the community to flourish together.