• THERESA MAE DULMAN
Youth group Hope Builders Organization Negros Island Inc. (HBONI) has kicked off a year-long science and technology initiative to boost livelihoods and peace-building in Sitio Madaja, Barangay Buenavista, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental, Aug. 30.
Running through August 2027, the initiative is funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) under its Community Empowerment through Science and Technology (CEST) program.
HBONI oversees the deployment of technology-driven interventions to the upland community situated within the Ilog-Hilabangan Watershed Forest Reserve.
Initial activities provided skills training, safety instruction, and agricultural resources to local residents.
Fifteen members of the Madaja Handweavers Association completed basic entrepreneurial training, while 15 Bantay Gubat volunteers received first-aid and disaster response instruction.
Moreover, 30 farmers received vegetable seeds, while representatives from the Philippine Rice Research Institute-Negros conducted youth storytelling sessions on rice conservation.
“Support for the weavers will continue in succeeding project activities. They are set to receive a tikog flattening machine developed by the DOST-Metals Industry Research and Development Center, along with a solar power system for the 15 weavers,” HBONI said.
The machine is expected to make tikog preparation and weaving more efficient, while the solar power system will allow women to continue working at night and reduce their dependence on conventional electricity, it added.
Through the initiative, the Madaja Elementary School will receive a campus rainwater collection system, educational resources from the DOST-Science Education Institute, and supplementary feeding for 80 undernourished pupils.
The project is implemented in coordination with the Himamaylan city government, DENR-CENRO Kabankalan, Barangay Buenavista officials, the Philippine Army’s 94th Infantry Battalion, and volunteers. | TMD
