“I became an OFW because we lacked financial resources,” shares Johnny, a 50-year-old farmer and father of four from San Felipe West, Pangasinan. His story echoes the heartache of countless Filipinos who leave their homeland seeking financial stability abroad, only to return and face the same economic challenges that drove them away.
The Bittersweet Cycle of Migration and Return
For many returning OFWs like Johnny, the transition back to farming comes with familiar struggles: high costs, debt cycles, and insufficient income. “What farmers face is shortage—after all the expenses, what we earn is barely enough to meet our family’s needs,” Johnny explains, his voice tinged with frustration.
This financial gap creates a vicious cycle, leaving returning OFWs struggling to make farming viable and often contemplating another painful separation from their families.
Transforming Return into Opportunity
In San Felipe West, Pure Bayanihan’s initiative is breaking this cycle by addressing the fundamental challenges that make farming unsustainable for returning OFWs. The program recognizes that these former migrant workers possess valuable skills and work ethic but need specific resources to apply these strengths to farming successfully.
Community Advocate Atty. Charlene Lagua explains with passion, “We chose the San Nicolas Family Farmers Association as beneficiaries because they are former OFWs who worked in various countries to provide better lives for their families. Now that they’ve returned, most of them will need to rebuild livelihoods.”
This challenge of rebuilding becomes an opportunity through Pure Bayanihan’s holistic approach. Rather than offering temporary solutions, the program creates pathways for lasting transformation, recognizing that returning OFWs need more than just financial aid—they need systems that make farming viable again.
Comprehensive Aid to Revitalize Farming
Pure Bayanihan’s approach tackles multiple barriers simultaneously, creating a foundation for long-term success:
- Affordable Farming Supplies: “What Pure Bayanihan has given is relief for us farmers,” Johnny shares, his eyes lighting up. “Because the fertilizers and other supplies are cheaper than at agricultural supply stores”.
- Eliminating Transportation Hurdles: By delivering supplies directly to this geographically isolated community, the program eases the financial burden of starting a planting season.
- Breaking the Debt Cycle: Flexible payment schemes allow farmers to afford supplies without falling back into the crushing cycle of high-interest loans.
- Creating a Support Network: “This project is a second chance for those who have returned to farming,” explains Editha, the association’s president, her voice filled with hope.
Rekindling Dreams and Dignity
For Bernard, a returning OFW and farmer, the program represents a lifeline: “This is an incredible thing that you have done for us former OFWs like me who weren’t fortunate enough to make it abroad. Because of your support, we get a second chance”.
Through sustainable farming practices, strengthening community bonds, and breaking the cycle of poverty, these farmers are rewriting their stories with newfound optimism. They’re proving that sometimes, the key to a better future isn’t overseas, but in the very fields they once left behind.
Partner with Pure Bayanihan today and help write the next chapter in stories like Johnny’s – where dreams of prosperity take root at home.
