OISCA International - USA Chapter

On December 16, 2021, one of the strongest typhoons to ever hit the Philippines, Super Typhoon Rai, ravaged the Visayas Region with 160 miles per hour winds. This powerful and catastrophic (Category 5) cyclone took more than 400 innocent lives. Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed leaving millions of Filipinos homeless, with damaged shelters andscarce or no food at all, on top of coping with the Covid-19 Pandemic.
 
One of the areas that felt the wrath of Super Typhoon Rai was the OISCA-Bago Training Center located in Bago City, Negros Occidental. For the last 41 years, Mr. Shigemi Watanabe and Mrs. Thelma Watanabe have been managing this international center that provides organic agriculture education along with seminars and trainings on health and wellness, environment rehabilitation and care, livelihood skills and values to members of their community. These students learn how to build sustainable agricultural farm systems to help boost the local economy and uplift the people’s quality of life, specifically through Sericulture – the rearing of silkworms for silk production.
 
Super Typhoon Rai destroyed nine (9) important buildings that provide local young students with the best sustainable agricultural and other livelihood skills trainings. 
 
The buildings include, but not limited to:

 

 

Living Quarters: For the past 41 years, OISCA-Bago Training Center has been home to thousands of students and trainees. Most ofthem graduate and embrace futures in agriculture, business, communications, and diplomacy in the Philippines, Japan, and other areas of the world.

 

 

 

Classroom: Hundreds of students, Agriculture trainees and Sericulture farmers have sat in this classroom to learn organic farming, silkworm rearing techniques and other skills so as to start their own livelihood projects; Basic English and Japanese languages; and communication and leadership skills in preparation for job opportunities in Japan and other parts of the world.

 

 

 

Staff House: Living quarters for teachers, trainers, lecturers and resource experts who come to conduct seminars to international and local trainees, farmers and students.

 

 

 

Weaving Center: An integral part of the Silk Project, the Weaving Center provides job opportunities to the local women of the community. The weavers learn the art, science and technique of silk dying, weaving and handcrafting high-quality organic silk products.

 

 

 

Silkworm Rearing Houses: This is where the sericulture farmers grow and nurture the silkworms to produce silk cocoons, which is the main raw material for the silk yarn. They sell many kilos of cocoons each year and can testify how the project has helped put food on their tables and enabled them to send back their children to school

 

 

 

Boiler House: A very vital part of the silk reeling process, this bio-mass fed boiler generates steam to run the reeling machines and ensures the continuity of the silk production project in its job-generating scheme not only for the sericulture farmers but for everyone else involved in the silk industry. Those important roles include the silk dyers and weavers, the cocoon handicraft makers, silk reeling plant managers, the fashion designers, embroiders, tailors and dressmakers, and silk product traders.

 

 

 

Cafeteria: Everyone gathers here to share a meal. Staff members, trainees, students, visitors and lecturers are provided breakfast, lunch and dinner during trainings, seminars and workshops all days of the week.  

 

 

 

Plant Nursery: This improvised Green House is where Mulberry and other plant cuttings and vegetable seedlings are grown before transplanting in the fields.  


Sports Facility: This facility was one of the newest buildings at the center before Super Typhoon Rai hit the Visayas. The students and staff members atOISCA-Bago Training Center work with such passion and dedication. Building a sports facility helped complete an individual's wholesome experience at the center.

 

With your support, you can help OISCA-Bago Training Center rebuild a resilient future from the aftermath of Super Typhoon Rai. Your donation of any amount will be greatly appreciated and will go a long way in realizing that dream. With your help, you ensurethat every individual has a clean, safe bed to sleep on; a functioning kitchen for daily meals; rebuild the classroom so that students of allages get back to learning how to be experts in sustainable organic agriculture and also how to be resilient and compassionate after anatural disaster.

Mother Earth doesn’t wait, but we can still be there for our global community and strive forward together to spread love, support and kindness.
 
Your generosity will mean so much to the global community. We hope you will consider donating to help rebuild OISCA-BagoTraining Center and support the hopes and dreams of all the people who walk through its doors.