Livelihood and Learning at Dumpsite Area
Multi-sector effort of empowering the UCLA and the residents of Brgy. Calajunan, Iloilo City prepare them for a self-sufficient life, as the City Goverment gears for the development of the dumpsite and its conversion into an sanitary landfill which otherwise would have displaced the residents who rely on waste picking for their daily income. Our dream is to provide underprivileged recyclers alternative livelihood to make them better members of society and help sustainable environment ...
Construction of UCLA Center
In 2009, LOOB built the first UCLA Learning Center in coordination with Iloilo City Government through its General Services Office (GSO), after securing the financial assistance from Mr. Hisashi Iwakuma, a Japanese professional baseball player, and in the suceeding year the
second phase of the Center was built through the support of a cosmetic
company, LUSH.
This construction was joint project by three parties; LOOB, German Technical
Corporation (GTZ) and the landowner Pastor Padlan, and now transferred
to and operated by UCLA. The Opening Ceremony of the Center was officially
held in November 2010 with attendance of the Mayor of Iloilo city.
The signboard of the Center says, "The Center serves as a meeting place, a workplace for the various alternative livelihood being introduced to the wasteworkers, a venue for the feeding program and weekly learning activities for their children, a place where our marginalized brothers and sisters, the former watstepickiers, can call their own, A place to be finally at HOME."
Livelihood Project @UCLA Center
In accordance with the rehabilitation and development of the Calajunan Desposal Area into a sanitary landfill, UCLA (Uswag Calajunan Livelihood Association) Sewing Project was organized by the City governmnet as one of the vocational trainings for the former wastepickers.
Members of the UCLA, almost youths and women are now in the UCLA center
and mainly produce useful and income-generating items such as bags and
accesories by recovering and reusing the wastes.
BAGS:
The Bags are made from doy packs, which are usually retrieved from cemetaries, schools and somtimes, Calajunan dumpsite. LOOB also encourage the students of severals schools to collect the doy packs. Collected items pass through the quality controll, cleaned and sewn into bags, folders, pensil cases and wallets. The end results are fasionable items that every Ilonggo fasionista is proud to carry.
PAPER ACCESORRIES:
ULCA become more creatives. Now they make itmes from discarded magazines
pages. Papers are cut into thin and long strips, rolled into balls and
fasioned into jewelry like necklaces and bracelets.
These bags and jewelry are bought as souvenious during convention held in Iloilo city, and also sold in Japan.
You can buy these products at:
UCLA Show Room @ 2nd floor of Mandurriao public market, Iloilo City.
Ilonggo Producers Association(IPA)@Sarabia Manor Hotel, General Luna St., Iloilo City.
Learning Activities @UCLA Center
This Center also became a home for our weekend volunteer activities, child minding activity and also utilized by several group and organization for their activites.
(Children learn from various educational activities conducted by LOOB)