In the heart of Cotabato City’s flood-prone communities, where makeshift homes cling to the edges of a dumpsite and scavenging is often a family’s only means of survival, hope is starting to grow.
Parents of child laborers and former child workers themselves are learning new ways to earn a living through a unique livelihood project that doesn’t just survive the floods; it thrives in them.
Through the Achieving Reduction of Child Labor In Support of Education (ARISE) project, the International Labor Organization (ILO), with funding support from the Government of Japan, is introducing climate-resilient livelihoods like duck raising and floating vegetable gardens.
The project is one of the first in Cotabato City to directly link child labor reduction with community climate adaptation, tackling two urgent issues—poverty-driven child labor and worsening climate impacts—at once.
“We can still earn an income if this continues because the floating garden will not be destroyed even when there are floods. The ducks, when they lay eggs, can be used to make salted eggs and balut,” said Alibai Fatima, 23, a former child laborer who grew up working in the dumpsite of Poblacion 9.
(Balut, a fertilized duck egg delicacy boiled and eaten from the shell, is a popular street food in the Philippines.)
Floods frequently disrupt traditional livelihoods in Cotabato City, but floating gardens—made from easily available water hyacinths—and duck farming are proving to be resilient alternatives.
This innovative approach was implemented in partnership with the Cotabato City Agriculture Office and the Integrated Resource Development for Tri-people Inc. (IRDT).
The community-focused initiative could not come at a more crucial time. The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has the third-highest number of child laborers in the country, according to a 2022 Philippine Statistics Authority study. Many of these children are found working in hazardous conditions, including dumpsites.
Fatima Pantao, 30, knows this hardship all too well. “We have lived in the dumpsite for 10 years. Three of my children work with me at the dumpsite for our family to survive. We were identified and profiled to be part of this training. Our income from scavenging is not enough, and this will help us,” she said.
Parents like Pantao were identified through the pilot testing of a Child Labor Monitoring System developed by ILO with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and local partners. The system helps communities recognize and respond to hazardous child labor, offering families a lifeline out of generational poverty.
As part of the project, a referral network of Community-Based Service Outlets (CBSOs) is being set up to strengthen support systems for families transitioning to these new livelihoods. Community organizations are also being formed to sustain the work.
For Vice-President Misuari Ulama of one such group, the benefits are clear.
“The duck raising and floating garden can help increase our income. We can sell our vegetables in the market and grow our business as a community,” he said. “This ILO project can also withstand floods. The garden will simply absorb and float. We also build it using resources such as water hyacinths, which are abundant in our area. These water hyacinths will also be used to create handicrafts.”
Trainings were held at the Climate Smart Agriculture Training Center and the Senior Citizen Hall in Cotabato City, with hands-on sessions conducted directly in Poblacion 9. Beyond technical skills, participants also receive training in financial literacy and organizational management—tools to ensure that these new ventures are sustainable in the long run.
The project is aligned with the work of the Cotabato City Council Against Child Labor (CCCACL), an ILO-supported initiative working toward the elimination of child labor in the city.
By combining sustainable livelihoods with climate resilience, the ARISE project is sowing more than seeds of vegetables—it’s sowing seeds of change. For many in Cotabato City’s most vulnerable communities, it’s the first time in years they can look to the future with hope instead of despair.
