Commitment and the strong bayanihan spirit of the members of the Mother of Hope Rural Improvement Club (RIC) are two reasons why this organization has bagged the Outstanding RIC award in Region X for five years running.

Organized on July 10, 1989, the Mother of Hope RIC started with just 159 members and a seed capital of only P508.00.

But with grants and loans from the Department of Agriculture and its attached agencies, and the dogged determination to succeed, Mother of Hope has been able to embark on many projects designed to uplift the lives of the members.

Among the most successful were the sugarcane farming, cassava farming, small and large animal's dispersal, maintenance of solar dryer, communal garden and the lending activities.

These programs provided the Pangantukan women folk livelihood they badly needed to not only earn an income but also to improve their self esteem.

From the meager income of about P500, the club's earnings shot up to P104,890 in 2004 and P 89,440 by 2005. Assets, meanwhile, grew from P 508.00 to P 633,171 in 2006.

The organization also promotes good nutrition by planting vegetables in the members' backyards to address hunger and malnutrition in the barangay. The RIC also spearheads the feeding of malnourished children five times a week by soliciting food and financial support from the different civic organizations.

The group is actively involved in advocacy campaigns, such as environmental and beautification programs. For the benefit of the poor residents, the group is also involved in the Gawad Kalinga housing project.

Recognizing the efforts of these rural womenfolk, the local government unit elevated Mother of Hope to the Hall of Fame by virtue of its being named outstanding RIC from 2002 to 2006.

Mother of Hope, however, has no plans of resting on its laurels.

As if its major projects were not enough, the aggressive RIC plans to expand further to include projects on cassava, cutflower, and coffee production, communal piggery, aquaculture, poultry, and cattle and goat dairying ventures.

Thus, this rural improvement club is not just the Mother of Hope in name, but more importantly, in deed.

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