Ayta Indigenous Women from Barangay Sta. Juliana, Municipality of Capas, Tarlac united for a common goal—to help their indigenous community combat COVID-19, as what they always do in the past. It became apparent in the weeks following the imposition of community quarantine that some of their community members either cannot afford or does not have access to available protection such as face mask, so the group of Ayta IP Women composed of 22 individuals started sewing washable face masks and distributed them to some of their community members and even front liners who happened to be in their area during the ECQ.

The 22 Ayta IP women were beneficiaries in one of our socio-economic projects last 2017 where we provided training for sewing and dressmaking and gave them initial capital including sewing machines. They continued developing and pursued a vocational course in dressmaking. Last year, all of them received a National Certification II in Dress Making from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). They all received starter kits and sewing machines each.

To support their initiative, NCIP provided additional materials for the group such as cloths, garters, and sewing materials to them today. Our NCIP Bulacan Community Service Center also provided rice assistance.

The Ayta ICCs in Capas take pride in their natural resilience and the goodness and kindness of their people.

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