More food, more capital, better prepared: Evaluation finds hundreds of people positively impacted by program in the Philippines
“If the project had not come to the community, we would still be confined to our homes,” said Rosalina.
Rosalina is one of 245 rural people who gained new skills in organic farming and increased their food production through a community development program in the Visayas region of the Philippines.
This was one of many findings from an evaluation of the AID-funded program: a program implemented from July 2022 – June 2025 by our local partner, IFI-VIMROD (Iglesia Filipina Independiente – Visayas and Mindanao Regional Office for Development).
An independent evaluation found that Rosalina (far right) and members of this community-based group have learnt new skills and improved incomes through the program © Isabel Robinson, ABM AID. Used with permission.
The evaluation found that VIMROD has helped local villagers to establish thirteen community-based organisations (CBOs), which then undertake socio-economic projects that improve the lives of rural people. Members of these groups said the program allowed them to learn new skills, such as how to make organic fertiliser, and how to plan for the future.
Some members said group membership provided emotional and financial support during disasters; some said their CBO provided members with life insurance and livestock insurance; some CBOs provided access to loans.
Rosalina (pictured above, far right) is a member of a community-based organisation in Bato, in Cebu Province. The group began growing chemical-free, traditional vegetables, and Rosalina has been able to grow and sell peanuts and bananas that provided an income. Group members also learned how to prepare first aid kits, fresh water and flashlights so they can be prepared during a disaster. Now, the group has registered for government assistance and subsequently received 12 piglets to start pig breeding.
Members of a community-based organisation feed their pigs, which are given organic feed. Pigs bring a much-needed income in the Philippines © Isabel Robinson, ABM AID. Used with permission.
By 2025, the CBOs had 368 members and the VIMROD program was impacting the lives of over 1000 people across 13 communities. Women, who comprised a majority of the program participants, said that the extra income they were able to make (and input costs they were able to reduce) gave them more financial independence and, in many cases, earned them more respect within their household and broader community.
Better together: by joining together, these women in the Philippines can improve their lives and provide one another with both economic and emotional support © Isabel Robinson, ABM AID. Used with permission.
Like all programs, there were challenges. Key challenges for VIMROD’s program were around diversifying program funding sources, formatting data to show ‘at a glance’ impacts, and villagers in some communities being less inclined to join trainings and groups if ‘free stuff’ was available through other institutions.
The evaluation recommended exploring alternative program income sources, reviewing the formatting of program data and expanding the ‘model farms’ component of the program.
We thank Australian Aid for supporting both the IFI-VIMROD Asset-Based Community Development Program and the 2026 evaluation. We also gratefully acknowledge contributions from our own supporters and the hard work of IFI-VIMROD staff and local community members.
IFI-VIMROD’s Asset-Based Community Development program in the Philippines receives support from the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP).
