A triple win

MANILA, Philippines - With an overgrowth of water lilies clogging Taguig’s waterways, causing flooding and costing the local government a significant amount to clean up, first lady of Taguig Kaye Tiñga decided to find a solution. When she received a token at a convention made of water lilies, Kaye knew that she had discovered a solution that would benefit the city, the environment, and generate extra income for its residents.

With that, she started the Water Lily Project, which has, from its humble beginnings, become a full-scale operation, giving livelihood to many members of the community, especially women, one of Kaye’s advocacies being women empowerment. “It is a creative way to make a living,” she says.

When it started in 2008, Kaye says that the quality of the product was far from what it is now, but she continued to support the endeavor because, as she says, “The livelihood project is viable and it is a bonus that it is eco-friendly. Combining these two elements – the environment and livelihood – is what makes the project unique.”

Today, the water lily project has developed and flourished, with placemats, baskets, bins, bags, and decorations among their wide range of products sold at bazaars and trade fairs. “My house looks like a showroom,” she exclaims when asked if she uses the products herself. Her favorite among them are the bins, she adds, as she likes to keep her space organized. Many like-minded companies who make organic products have also tapped the water lily project to provide the packaging for their products.

Since 60-70 percent of the weaving can be done at home, housewives and retirees who otherwise would not generate any income now are able to provide for the needs of their families. With almost 1,000 women trained in this new skill and benefiting from the livelihood opportunity, the initiative continues to grow. “Sometimes I am surprised when I visit and there are so many new products. The women are very creative,” she says, noting that now they have angels and even a nativity scene, in time for the coming Christmas season, fashioned from the water lilies. “We are continuously working to upgrade the product.”

“The project is important because it provides financial independence for the women of the city,” says Kaye. “We will only get out of this culture of dependence and become self-sufficient if we work.”

It was early this year when Kaye realized that her project had truly become successful. “We were preparing for an event,” she says, “and someone suggested that I use the water lily products instead of buying giveaways from other sources.” It was when people started recognizing the water lily products as those good enough to be given away and used that she realized the project had really taken off. “Before people were just buying the products because they wanted to help and support the cause. Now, they buy it because it is something that they really want to use.”

The water lily project has also been garnering attention from the media recently, with features not only in local news, but on international television as well, with a feature by Japanese TV station Fuji.

Kaye adds that another instance that made her proud of the project was when her teenage daughters told her that they would rather give the water lily products to their teachers instead of buying other gifts. “I would like my daughters to grow up with the same awareness and advocacies,” says Kaye. The project itself is very close to her heart, almost like her own child – “It’s my pet project.”

Aside from the water lily project, Kaye keeps herself busy with various advocacies and fund raising activities, including setting up the Red Cross of Taguig, the city’s first blood bank. She also plans to come up with a similar livelihood project using old newspapers and directories to make bags. Already there is interest from suppliers to export the products in the US.

Kaye continues to have high hopes for the water lily project. “I want to make it a staple material for baskets and other products, just like raffia.”

“Hang on and believe in what you are doing,” Kaye advises those who embark on a new and innovative project. By believing in her advocacy and seeing her work through, Kaye Tiñga has succeeded not only in saving the city government time and money in cleaning up the waterways, but she has also created eco-friendly livelihood opportunities, ultimately empowering the women of Taguig. It’s a win-win-win situation.