Community Development

EECO goes by the motto, ‘Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.’ We believe that communities distressed by environmental degradation can be their own saviors if given the chance. Our goal is to nurture their skills, capacities, and potential for sustainable resource use, and then leave them to it.

 

Ironically (given the saying above), many communities request assistance to transition away from fishing. With fish stocks at 10% of their 1960s level, alternative livelihoods have become very important in the Philippines, both for households’ economic prospects and for the recovery of overexploited coastal ecosystems.  Equally important is household-based financial management. Even low-income families can save money. EECO believes in community-based savings groups which provide loan assistance at affordable interest levels- and build a powerful sense of community and agency.