Ms. Genalyn M. Oliveros

Work

Ms. Genalyn Oliveros was raised by her grandparents on a farm in the rural region of Caraga. They all had to work hard to grow their food to make a living. These experiences helped her form a strong connection with the land and also fostered in her a desire to help her neighbors lift themselves out of the cycle of poverty. Her environmental views were further shaped by watching the illegal logging that takes place in her region, which erodes mountains and causes destructive floods and mudslides. Ms. Oliveros wants to make people understand the importance of environmental stewardship to safeguard the natural riches of the Philippines.

As a Training Officer for the FRIEND Foundation, Ms. Oliveros trains rural women and men in income generating and livelihood projects, such as making and marketing food products and handicrafts. Farmers are often unable or unaware of how to sell their own products, putting them at the mercy of middlemen who dictate unfair prices. She believes that providing skills that empower people uplifts a whole community. She has also started to work with young people, promoting the importance of organic farming during youth work camps.

Sending

Organization

The Foundation for Rural and Industrial Equipment for National Development, or FRIEND Foundation, is a non-governmental organization that was established by members of the Bank of Caraga. The Bank of Caraga was founded by the National Council of Churches in the Philippines to provide services to beneficiaries of the Philippine government’s Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program. The FRIEND Foundation was organized at this time to help provide technical assistance to the agrarian reform beneficiaries who received farmland in 1986. While FRIEND Foundation was organized to assist the social, economical, spiritual and political concerns of the rural people it has expanded today to become an effective community organization for empowering impoverished and rural citizens in the Caraga region.