our "peace goats" are beginning to multiply!

ibrahim balono—my fellow worker in sultan kudarat, maguindanao—emailed me about our “peace goats” project:

good news! mr. & mrs. hassan’s female goat gave birth last week. 2 kids, male and female. also ustadz esmael abas’ goat gave birth but only single male kid. sooner or later other female entrusted goats will give birth.

this is sooo cool because the project seems to be working. you may be wondering what these “peace goats” are all about?

officially, it’s known as family livelihood partnership program. it is a livelihood development partnership between families in canada and rural families in sultan kudarat, maguindanao.

there are about 100,000 internally displaced people (idp) among muslim civilians in mindanao due to war between the government of the republic of the philippines and the moro islamic liberation front. many of them are temporarily settled around the municipality of sultan kudarat, province of maguindanao, philippines.

our team has identified several families who are ready to settle down and start a new life in a small, rented piece of land. for a one time investment of c$600 or c$50 a month for one year, a canadian family can sponsor one of these idp families start a livelihood project for themselves—like raising goats and other farm animals.

what we're up to with regards to this project:

1. family livelihood partnership (flp) intends to develop positive cross-cultural and economic relationships between families in canada and rural indigent families in sultan kudarat. the heart of the program is two-fold: (a) to help a canadian family enrich their lives cross-culturally by getting involved in the lives of the people in sultan kudarat, maguindanao; and, (b) to help an indigent family in sultan kudarat start a long-term livelihood project through micro-loans in kind.

2. it is very important to understand, right at the beginning, that it is not the purpose of flp to lend or give cash to participating families in sultan kudarat. all micro-loans will be delivered in kind (like goats, chickens, ducks, and other kinds of livelihood resources).

3. each family in sultan kudarat will be partnered with a sponsoring canadian family or individual.

4. the canadian partner is expected to:
:: commit to relate with an indigent family in mindanao through correspondence. a local maguindanaon field assistant will help facilitate the translation.
:: entrust c$600 or c$50 a month for one year to help an indigent family start their own livelihood project; 85% of this entrusted money will be directly used for a micro loan in kind while the 15% will be used for administration of the program.
:: explore the possibility of visiting their partner family in sultan kudarat, maguindanao, philippines.

5. the sultan kudarat partner is expected to:
:: commit to relate with a family in canada through correspondence. a local maguindanaon field assistant will help facilitate written communication.
:: manage the entrusted livelihood resources (elrs--like goats, chickens, ducks, and other kinds of livelihood resources) as the concrete expression of partnership and cross-cultural relationship with a canadian family.
:: pay back the entrusted livelihood resources in kind within 1 year. for example, those who will be entrusted with 50 chickens will have to return 50 chicks within 12 months.

6. the elrs will be monitored monthly by a local maguindanaon field assistant and reports will be submitted to the canadian partner and the sultan kudarat mayor’s office.

we're excited to see this humble project grow to impact the lives of many families who are seeking for a peaceful life in the midst of a war-torn country.