Our survey is complete! We finished our baseline survey for two villages in Bicol (pop. 3,108 and 2,411) and now have hundreds of stats that give us insight into the needs of the community. Here are a few that stood out to us:
Health
94% experience food shortages for at least 1 month/year
49% for 3 months or more
31% of children have had diarrhea in last 2 weeks
Income
84% families make less than $110/month
23% rely on planting/farming and 28% on fishing as their main source of income
Housing
63% do not have latrine
42% houses have one room (studio style) bamboo hut, 41% have two rooms/parts to their home.
Financial
60% have loans
95% have no savings for the future (i.e. children's schooling, illness, etc.)
3% have bank accounts
If they had more money, 36% say they would put it into a business
Education
59% of parents have no more than a 6th grade education.
20% of fathers and 28% of mothers finished High School.
2% of fathers and 3% of mothers finish more than High School
The Main Problem Identified by Families
32% Financial Problem
15% Unemployment
17% Lack of food
13% Poverty
8% Sickness/Illness
These stats are overwhelming and sobering, but they tell us we are in the right place. There is a lot of work to be done here.
