SRE Replicates Aklan Model in Sulu, Mindanao

Sustainable Rural Enterprise (SRE), in partnership with the Governor of the Province of Sulu and BJ Coco Oilmill in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), is replicating the "Aklan Model" of a coconut coir processing enterprise in Indanan, Sulu. Other partners include the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) and the German Development Fund (GED).

The project is expected to start in mid-October 2005 and will employ as many as 150 families in the first phase. Majority of the workers will be women, many of whom are widows of slain combatants in the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Output will include coconut fiber geotextiles (coconets); coconut dust/peat for use as organic fertilizer, soil enhancer, and mulch; doormats, and planting pots (for "soil-less" gardening).

The replication is the first of its kind in ARMM and was first conceptualized by PBSP's "Business and Peace" and "Business Partnership" initiatives for war-affected areas of Mindanao.

A second replication in ARMM is being planned for the province of Basilan. It is expected to start in the second quarter of 2006.