ENCA Farm Logo
Benguet Tivangdal Receives Philippine
Non-Profit Status

 

The summer has been filled with wonderful momentum for Benguet Tivangdal. On June 13th, Benguet Tivangdal received official incorporation as a Non-Profit organization from the Securities and Exchange Commission in the Philippines. Obtaining this official status is a key step to enable access to a wider range of grants and continue to expand our programs and regional networking. Each of these efforts will help ensure indigenous cultural practices are preserved and environmental sustainability is practiced throughout the Province of Benguet. 

 

Friends of ENCA Farm Denver Event, a Success

 

Friends of ENCA Farm would like to thank our Denver, Colorado community for attending our first fundraising happy hour held on Wednesday May 25th, 2011. Thirty people gathered at Vine Street Pub to learn more about ENCA Farm and the rapidly growing local food movement in Denver. 

Thanks to event sponsorship by the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and local organizations Waste Farmers and Grow Local Colorado, this event was a success 
and wonderful opportunity to join together the global local food movement. 

 

Friends of ENCA Denver
DU Sturm College of Law Graduates Enjoying the Event


Event attendees were the first to see the newly launched Friends of ENCA Farm Video that details the story of the Cosalan's land rights battle against the Philippine Government to maintain their ancestral land title. Attendees also learned about the various programs offered at ENCA Farm including hosting international volunteers through World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF), ENCA Farm's coffee growers cooperative, youth environmental education camp programs and a variety of organic farming seminars offered at the farm.

 

Grow Local Colorado's Director Dana Miller gave an energetic talk about the rapidly growing community garden movement in Denver. Grow Local Colorado plants edible gardens in public parks throughout the city, many of which help provide fresh local produce to local food banks. These gardens are maintained by 100% volunteer labor.  

 

Waste Farmers Founder and Executive Director John-Paul Maxfield also gave a compelling talk about the importance of supporting sustainable agriculture on the global scale. He discussed that we in the U.S. are often the largest contributors to the world environmental problems, but feel the least of these drastic negative effects. Event attendees left inspired to get involved in the local organic farming movement in Denver and the Philippines.

  

All money raised at the event purchased organic seeds for farmers in the Philippines and went to support physical infrastructure improvements under way at ENCA Farm. Thanks to everyone who came out and supported this great event.

World Wide Opportunities on Organic
Farms (WWOOFing) News
 
WWOOFing 2011 picture
WWOOFers Eric and Kristin De-pulping Coffee Beans

 

The WWOOFing program at ENCA Farm continues to thrive 

with international volunteers working at ENCA Farm nearly every month. Thus far, 2011 has brought WWOOFers to ENCA Farm from Switzerland, France, Belgium, Singapore and the United States. 

WWOOFer Testimonial
By Kristin Sanborn Gross, Colorado, USA

" As first-time WWOOFers, we could not have asked for a more gracious host family than the Cosalans. We worked in the garden each day, harvesting and depulping coffee, mulching the edible ferns, picking 
 wild cherry tomatoes, and weeding the beans and peas. We set up our borrowed tent in the red house and woke up to beautiful views of the river valley each morning. We watched as the damaged roofs were rethatched, showing the tremendous benefit Friends of ENCA has been able to offer 
the farm. Our time spent at ENCA was truly memorable and was undoubtedly the highlight of our trip to Southeast Asia."

 

Many Physical Improvements at ENCA Thanks To Your Support
Installing new roof on CR

Local Workers prepare to install New Grass Roof on Bathroom


Thanks to the generosity of our donors, ENCA Farm has been able to re-build after the devastating effects of Typhoon Peping in 2009. It was truly amazing to return to ENCA Farm last month and see the measurable impact that each of your donations have made. 

There is now running water at each of the main huts and bathrooms, five of the nipa huts have new grass roofs, and there are two new water tanks, which will serve a critical role in water conservation and distribution at the farm when dry season arrives. 

Thank you all for your generous donations and support! 
new roof going up on CR

Workers Place the Grass Bundles on the New Bathroom Roof

Completed New Roof on CR

The Finished Product: Beautiful New Roof on the Bathroom

I am also pleased to report that ENCA Farm has received its first government grant from the Philippine Department of Tourism. We have been awarded a 50,000 peso grant through the GREET Program: Grassroots Entrepreneurs for Eco-Tourism Development. This money has purchased new tents, materials for building an additional Nipa Hut, a full medical kit for the farm, and a two-way radio system for safety and better communication between the farm staff. 

 

Stay tuned for more news about Friends of ENCA Farm activities and events coming your way in the near future. Please do not hesitate to contact me with questions and thanks for your continued support.

 

Sherry Manning
Friends of ENCA Farm

Executive Director

[email protected]

425-698-5808 

Autumn 2011 E-Newsletter
Denver Event May 2011
WWOOFIng News
Physical Improvements at Farm
ENCA Awarded GREET Grant



 

 

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WOOFFers 2011

Auntie Olive, Uncle Bob and WWOOFers Mark, Eric and Kristin

 

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