The People’s Initiative for Learning and Community Development

The People’s Initiative for Learning and Community Development (PILCD) is a national NGO that was established in 2002. It is now a member of national and regional literacy and education organizations such as the Civil Society for Education Reforms or E-net Philippines (a national coalition of NGOs for education reforms); the Asia South Pacific Bureau for Adult Education (ASPBAE); the Regional Literacy Coordinating Council of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and the NGO Consultative Assembly of the National Literacy Coordinating Council.PILCD primarily endeavours to develop and implement alternative learning programmes for community development. To this end, it has been implementing the Community-based Adult Learning and Development Programme (CALDP), which is intended to institutionalise alternative learning for development at grass-roots levels in an effort to enhance the capacity of local communities to address proactively the social, political and economic challenges afflicting them as well as to increase their standard of life.ProgrammeThe Community-based Adult Learning and Development Programme (CALDP) is currently being implemented in three local municipalities in the Province of Benguet and the City of Baguio.

The programme enrols between 150 and 200 adult and youth learners per year and has an annual budget of about US$ 30 000. Due to the ethnic and linguistic diversity of the Philippines, the programme employs a multilingual approach to learning instruction and thus uses regional languages, Filipino and English in order to enable learners to effectively comprehend the concepts being taught.CALDP focuses primarily on four key areas: Basic and advanced literacy: Development and implementation of needs-oriented, context-based and innovative basic education programmes for adults and out-of-school children in marginalised communities and vulnerable groups. This is promoted through the use of in-house, modular and computer-based learning approaches.

Capacity-building: Skills are enhanced through training in project development, vocational trades, rural development, leadership and management, governance, livelihood and income generation.Sustainable agriculture education: Continuing education programme for small farmers focusing on sustainable agriculture (including soil management, crop systems, and pest/disease management), leadership and entrepreneurship/business training. Lobbying and advocacy for the enhanced provision of community-based adult learning programmes. Impact and Achievements The CALDP has been applauded for advancing the inter-twined goals of literacy skills training and community development.The following lists its key impacts and achievements: Primarily, the programme provides adults and youth in remote and poor rural communities – the majority of whom have limited or no experience of education – with alternative learning opportunities to enhance their literacy skills.

Most of the programme participants are now able to read and write, as well as to plan and organise their livelihood activities. Most importantly, since 2004, a total of 189 CALDP graduates learners have passed the national A&E test and have now completed their high school education.Others have managed to secure formal employment. The programme has had a significant impact on communities, particularly in terms of poverty alleviation, economic empowerment and the improvement of quality of life.

For example, members of a women’s organization who participated in the programme were subsequently able to install a community water system in Bayoyo village, while a mothers’ organization in Taba-ao established a hog project. These livelihood and income generation activities have raised community standards of life.Both projects are a by-product of an ongoing learning programme on literacy and capacity building. The organizations’ members and officers received training in leadership, organizational and project development skills during twice-monthly sessions. The development of the two community projects involved the participants in the entire process of project development.

The agricultural training programme that was initiated in 2003 has enabled some farmers to adopt and utilise sustainable farming practices, such as the use of organic fertilisers and appropriate strategies for managing pests and diseases.For example, two farmers from Buguias have converted to organic farming. Both are now marketing their organic vegetable produce, an outcome that has improved their standards of life. Effectvity In order to be effective, community-based literacy and development programmes must be developed and implemented in such a way, literacy training should train learners to find functional solutions to the challenges they face in their everyday lives.Graduates’ ability to do so encourages other learners to join literacy programmes.

The integration of literacy with developmental skills training increases the capacity of learners to engage in self-help and collective socio-economic activities, such as managing income-generating projects and initiating community actions that address common challenges. Hence, literacy training paves the way for greater individual participation in processes of community development.