Development on the go in Mindanao: The 2nd PO Festival on Community Initiatives and Best Practices discusses what has been achieved and what can still be done for peace and poverty reduction in Mindanao.

Thirty-five NGOs from South-Central Mindanao gather tomorrow in Kidapawan City, North Cotabato, for the 2nd People’s Organizations Festival on Community Initiatives and Best Practices. This event’s theme is “Ipamahagi and Karanasan, Pagtibayin and Natutunan, Ipagpatuloy and Nasimulan.”

The festival is organized by Invisible Link, an informal alliance of civil society groups that work in conflict-ridden areas in Mindanao.

The three-day festival is an opportunity for community workers in Mindanao to talk about firsthand experiences on peace initiatives and poverty reduction. It’s also a venue to share good practices and technologies that enable them to do their work.

Among the many things that people’s organizations do in Mindanao is encourage the locals to revive the custom of making garments that are culturally acceptable and fit their needs.

Rufa Guiam, director of the Center for Peace and Development Studies at the Mindanao State University in General Santos City, will give some input on best practices and give updates on the progress of peace initiatives and poverty reduction.

Invisible Link and the Mindanao Land Foundation Inc. organized the first PO festival in May this year, which was received positively by participants who were eager to share their experiences in community initiatives and learn from others who had achieved some success in their endeavors.

2nd People’s Organizations Festival on Community Initiatives and Best Practices
December 4-6, 2007
Guadalupe Formation Center
Balindog, Kidapawan City

For queries:
Alih S. Bato/ Ofelia Tagle-Tutol /Mary Ann Abanilla-Numos
+63 64 278 3077
+63 82 301 9001