The innovative practices of Global Peace Foundation’s All Lights Village project in countries around the world are not only helping to raise rural societies out of poverty, but most importantly, provides education and support for local people to become leaders that uplift their own community. This kind of model is based on the vision that every person is a member of our greater human family and through the power of service, everyone can be a part of a culture that uplifts the innate dignity of all people, whatever their background. The following article from Global Peace Foundation demonstrates the kind of transformation that can take place in communities when people are empowered to become the changemakers for the future of their home.
In the Philippines, you’ll see hills of rice fields and other farmland with dedicated farmers working on them, providing crops for their families and communities. Even though the country relies heavily on its farmers, according to the Phillippine Statistics Authority, the poverty rate among farmers in 2015 was about 35% due to a lack of funds and support from the government. To make matters worse, the soil became overdosed with chemical fertilizers and pesticides from decades of farmers using them for crops, which not only harms the health of animals and people but also hurts the overall environment.
Global Peace Foundation’s (GPF) ongoing All-Lights Project helped farmers grow vegetables organically to be sold at the organic market every week. GPF joined the committee of the National Empowerment and Development Exchange (NEEDEX) as a partner among a network of organic farming practitioners. While GPF trained the farmers, NEEDEX provided the farmers with the seeds for organic farming and created the organic market the produce was sold, even buying leftover produce. The push for organic farming has been an important aspect of sustaining the natural environmental cycle. Besides creating healthier conditions for the local community, this project is helping farmers provide wealth for their families and stimulate communities.
GPF and NEEDEX spread the message on organic farming to parents and teachers during the Camp Tinio Elementary School’s Parents and Teachers Association General Assembly. The community was taught that organic farming had lasting effects that would improve their quality of life and preserve the environment.
The All-Lights Project volunteers and staff are committed to providing ongoing service in the Philippines, meeting with the Municipal Mayor of Bongabon to provide updates and helping the local council manage the continued development of communities. Recently, the All-Lights Project has also helped upgrade the water facility, as well as replacing solar panels, resulting in the continued production of clean and safe water.
The original post appears on Global Peace Foundation. Global Peace Foundation is an international non-sectarian, non-partisan, nonprofit organization, which promotes an innovative, values-based approach to peacebuilding, guided by the vision of One Family under God. GPF engages and organizes a global network of public and private-sector partners who develop community, national, and regional peace building models as the foundation for ethical and cohesive societies. Dr. Hyun Jin Preston Moon is founder and chairman of the Global Peace Foundation.