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: hrm@csi.com.ph |
