Balangay Philippines is profit-for-purpose organisation that cares about primary producers of the Philippines and supports them through a variety of projects that range from agribusiness, education, health, and trade. Balangay Philippines operates across both Australia and the Philippines.
Balangay’s vision is a world where the dignity of each human being is afforded and respected and this drives its mission to enable and empower the farming communities in the Philippines to achieve sustainable livelihoods and live in safe environments where their families can thrive.
Balangay believes this can be achieved by working directly with the farming communities to establish and maintain resilient supply and value chains through sustainable farming and production practices.
When it all started
Balangay Philippines began as a simple dream of its Founder, Michael Gillis – to help the farmers of the Philippines. Having spent many years working between the Philippines and Australia, Michael came to understand the challenges that the communities face. With subsistence farmers representing over 70% of the nation’s population living below the poverty line, Michael believed that the best way he can make a difference was to start an initiative dedicated to helping the farmers who toil daily to ensure food security for the country.
Philippines is a country with tremendous potential, and with appropriate tools and support, it will undoubtedly thrive and enable a life of dignity for many.
Balangay’s Projects
AGRICULTURE
Balangay Philippines takes a holistic approach in projects which involve working with the farmers from the beginning of their crop production through to post-harvest processing, and connecting them directly with buyers to facilitate best prices for their produce.
The organisation’s inaugural project is in partnership with the cacao growers in Mindanao, assisting farmers through the Balangay program to improve the nutrient density and quality of their cacao. In addition, Balangay also engages international expertise to collaborate with the farmers to improve the processing of the cacao and facilitate export of beans and cacao products to local and international markets.
Balangay have also recently commenced discussions with a partner in Luzon to assist with a farmer training program to facilitate yield and quality.
HEALTH
Balangay Philippines believes that healthy communities are the backbone of a society’s economic resilience. It is therefore important to support Philippines’ communities to achieve health and wellness through precision medicine, nutrition and food.
The Balangay Phenome Project, in collaboration with the Australian National Phenome Centre, will work with local partners to build foundational systems to study the health profiles of communities and harness ground-breaking technology to identify latent diseases and develop suitable nutrition programs to support healthy communities in the Philippines.
Support Balangay
Here are some of the ways you an support Balangay:
- Following Balangay on Social Media:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BalangayPHL
- Website: www.balangayph.org
- Raising awareness of their work through word of mouth
- Reach out via our social media if you wish to donate
