Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement

In the early 1900s, the rural reconstruction movement, inspired and led by Dr. Y.C. James Yen, was born in China. The movement was later brought to the Philippines by a small group of prominent Filipinos led by Dean Conrado Benitez of the University of the Philippines. The Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement planted its roots in a 14-hectare training ground in the province of Nueva Ecija with its vision of "a society of empowered communities with full citizen entitlements, where women and men have control over their lives and equally share the benefits of development taking place within the carrying capacity of the environment." Guided by its mission, which is "to help build self-governing, self-sustaining communities that provide for the fullest development of their citizen's human potentials and institutionalize development alternatives at the local, national and global level," PRRM has a Four-Fold Approach in fulfilling its goals:

• Education to combat ignorance
• Livelihood to fight poverty
• Health to combat disease
• Self-Government to fight civic inertia.

PRRM reaches out to the economically and socially marginalized groups of small farmers, landless agricultural workers, subsistence fisherfolk, indigenous peoples, and rural women. PRRM also seeks the help of professionals, small rural entrepreneurs, youth, academe, church, media, government, and NGOs in shaping the development process in the area.

Part of PRRM's ground programs engages local communities in a process wherein a citizen's access to justice is improved, livelihoods are created, community cohesion is restored, communities become connected to each other, and there is a greater sense of stewardship towards the environment. Added to this is the awareness of the member communities of public policies that are being implemented regarding its impact on the community in general and even to the littlest possible unit like the family. PRRM's efforts extend to its coalitions around the country, the continent, and the world. This bond strengthens the "voice of civil society and the advocacy for sustainable community and habitat development." The PRRM, on the other hand, did not lose its focus on its core program which is the Sustainable Rural District Development Program or SRDDP, which involves Sustainable Area Development, Community Building, Habitat Protection and Management, among others.

Contact Information:
Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 10479, Broadway Centrum, Quezon City 1112 Philippines
Main Office
Kayumanggi Press Building 940 Quezon Avenue, Quezon City 1103, Philippines
http://www.csi.com.ph/~srddp/index.htm
Email: