The Gender and Development Unit of the Mountain Province State Polytechnic College, in collaboration with the Sangguniang Kabataan, Samoki Chapter, conducted a two-day Livelihood Training on Lemon Juice Concentrate and Marmalade Production for the young women of Barangay Samoki, at the Samoki Valley Inn on February 17-18, 2022.
The training evolved from the idea of giving livelihood opportunities to housewives and young women by developing their income-generating capacities to help them sustain the financial needs of their families. With the adverse economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical that women who are among the marginalized sectors have access to livelihood opportunities. The activity also promotes women’s economic empowerment that sets a direct path towards gender equality, poverty eradication, and inclusive economic growth.
The objectives of the training were successfully attained through the collaborative effort of the facilitators and the participants. Ms. Dixty L. Caranto, Director and Focal Person for Gender and Development, emphasized the importance of bringing women into mainstream society. Hon. Anton Zaren Nasungan, the Chairperson of the Sangguniang Kabataan, Samoki Chapter, also discussed the role of women in community development and nation-building. In addition, the participants were also enlightened on the importance of sanitation and safety for them to experience greater productivity and opportunity.
Ms. Sofi K. Kilongan, an empowered entrepreneur of Sagada, was the primary guest speaker of the activity. She is the owner of the Gabay Wines and Fruit Preserves who aspires to help more women earn their own income. She was recognized for winning 1st place in the 2021 Regional Productivity Olympics Award for Industry Sector. Ms. Kilongan thoroughly demonstrated the step-by-step process of lemon juice concentrate and marmalade production. As a bonus, she also taught the participants the process of blueberry jam production. As a result, the trainees were able to produce marketable lemon juice concentrate, marmalades, and blueberry jams.
Through the activity, a viable opportunity was opened for the participants. With the encouragement of Ms. Caranto, the participants created the I-Kidla-a Mamagkit Organization for them to come up with their own brand and marketing strategy. The participants subsequently elected their officers and pledged to register their organization in corresponding government agencies to maximize the skills they learned from the training.
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