Empowering women

Through its partners, CWS has been helping women work together for change in the Philippines. The Developers Foundations project trains women in organic farming and herbal medicines. To earn money they grow organic vegetables and breed pigs, goats, ducks and chickens.

‘With our new knowledge of health and nutrition we can prepare vitamins and medicines from our herbal plants’ one woman commented. Health is improving and a number of common illnesses have decreased.

New farming techniques for rice and vegetable growing have also had a positive impact. ‘You don’t need to use chemicals and sprays’ says another. ‘All you have to use is compost. This has good effects because the crops are much more delicious to eat’. As a result costs are declining, while yield and nutrition levels increase. The women themselves are earning more money and are gaining in self confidence.