| From Rifles to Fishnets |
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A member of the Upper Pahut Multi-Purpose Cooperative holds a mature tiger grouper grown at the cooperative’s fish farm in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi. Composed of former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) combatants, members of the cooperative were trained by USAID’s Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program on the basics of aquaculture production, thus enabling the members to supplement their incomes from fishing and seaweed farming. The GEM Program, under its Targeted Commodity Expansion Project (TCEP), has helped more than 12,000 ex-MNLF fighters to earn a living as fruit, vegetable and aquaculture growers. GEM also helps these combatants-turned-entrepreneurs to establish relationships with prospective buyers. GEM is being implemented under the oversight of the Mindanao Development Authority. |
