MSC Centre for the Poor

MSC-CENTRE FOR THE POOR – a few years back, the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC) decided to establish a centre that would completely express our concrete concerns, particularly for the poor and the little ones or marginalised in society; thus, the MSC Centre for the Poor was born.  It is a grassroots, non-profit organisation dedicated to taking care of the environment and the well-being of the people and providing services to the community in terms of Spiritual, Pastoral and Socio-Economic needs.

This is a place where we can promote and realise our commitment to the total development of a human being, leading to the conversion of the heart, and ultimately experience the transformative effort in building a new heart and a new world. We established the pilot area in Butuan City in 2018.  Eventually, it gave birth to an agriculture cooperative movement among farmers in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we called it the MSC-CENTRE FOR THE POOR AGRICULTURE COOPERATIVE (MSC-CEPAGCO).  It is registered with the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) and is now classified under a ‘Medium Level’ Coop Category with the Department of Agriculture (D.A.) Learning Site, and a Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (TESDA) Farm School.  I am proud to say that it was awarded as the country’s most outstanding Civil Society Organization (CSO) in 2022.  With 300+ members, it has been in operation for 2 ½ years.

Developing our integrity, mastery, professionalism, and being faithful to our advocacy and taking things seriously in all aspects of life are the most significant impacts we are garnering today.  Many are signing with us for partnerships and fruitful engagements, and some stay with us for exposures/immersions, on-the-job training, bench-making, and (PGS) – Participatory Guarantee System.  We want to expand to other places.  We want to transfer our knowledge and technology and replicate best practices that promote the virtue of permaculture. “Care for the Earth, Care for the People, Share the Surplus”.  We already have the model.  Going back to the discerning stage of the province, “The Conference agrees that there is a need for a pilot project in one designated area that provides focus to the concept – faithful to the desire of the 2017 Provincial Chapter – and can serve as the “flagship” of our Centre for the Poor.”

We cannot manage a Provincial/Global initiative of this size without sufficient funds to run a well-staffed and well-equipped office. The monthly expenses keep rising with the growing demand.  Admin operations, electricity, IT, wages/salaries, programs, hosting fees, printing, consumables, phone calls, travel costs, fuel, accommodation – time for planning, writing, meetings, presentations, training, and other costs we often forget about.  Multiply this by several outlets, and you see the problem, and at the same time, you see empowered communities growing.  If we are going to succeed with our mission, we need to do it with the knowledge that we have sufficient funding and personnel for the short-term and long-term future.  We need to strengthen the foundation of the mother Centres (Butuan & Del Monte).  Harnessing the potentialities that can be translated to a concrete replication with a unique reading of the signs of the times for every local community situation, needs and advocacy.