My Personal Project

I am working on a project to help rice farmers recover from devasting typhoons, lack of funding, or just plain bad luck! I hope you take the time to read below. This is a non-profit site in which all donations will go directly to seeds, replanting, fertilizers, and harvesting. I wish I could do this without asking your help, but I can't. I do need you assistance. Won't you please consider donating to this cause? Thank you!



 

      This is a secure paypal donation button.

I ask you to please not bypass this paypal donation button until you have at least tried to read what it is about. Thank You! I REALLY NEED YOUR HELP!

  "RICE 4 ALL" 
I am running a personal project here that I started a few years ago. It was not really by choice, but it came out of a real need. I am helping rice farmers who badly need assistance. Basically the local farmers in this area need approximately $300 to $450 (15,000 to 20,000 pesos) to buy seeds, fertilizer, and pay planters to help put in a new crop. It is a tough life, and has been for a long time. But it's the only life they know. Most of those around me run about 1/2 hectare to 4 hectares of land. A hectare is bigger than an acre. Most of the land is not owned by the farmers, so they only receive a percentage of the harvest. They need to plant, harvest, and sell this rice to feed their families. A normal plant to harvest cycle is about four months. So, while the rice is growing, they do not have any income. What they make each harvest must last them til the next one. Many of them hire out to help others while waiting, but the normal wage for this is about 150 pesos a day ($3).

What I have been doing is "alloting" them 80% of what they need to start. I want them or the land owner to pay the other 20%, so they have a real investment in it too. What you must understand is that sometimes the land owner does not really care if the farmer has the money or not. They will simply find someone else willing to plant the crop who may have the money. What does this mean? It means that the farmer is out of a job and livelihood. The money is based on the size of the field or fields they plant. This started back when a few farmers came to my wife and I and asked for assistance. They wanted to make a deal with us. If we could lend them the starting money, they would pay back the amount borrowed plus two sacks of unmilled rice (worth about $30).  The local banks and other type lending companies here will not help them unless they mortgage their land to them. They will not do that for two reasons, 1)they may not own the land, and 2)because the banks here have long had a reputation for foreclosing on them for any reason they can find, and taking their land away. They do not like asking for help, as it goes against their pride, but are sometimes left with no choice. We started helping a few, and it kept growing. It is almost never the same farmers asking again. That was part of the deal also,  that we cannot help them every planting. They have to work it out to support themselves. Sometimes it works out that way, but sometimes it's just too hard.

Now it has grown into a project that I cannot financially handle by myself. As I said, I am not rich, or even well-off. We were just trying to help a few farmers feed their children. It has gotten to the point that I am now asking YOU to help me keep this going. What do I make from it? As I said, I get about $30 in free rice from each harvest, unmilled, which means I still have to pay to have it milled. I am not doing it to make money. If I were, I would be losing a lot. It doesn't sound like a great deal, does it? But remember, this environment is nothing like the States. We see these farmers children almost every day, and it's a good feeling to know that they can eat, and have some clothes, and go to school partly because of our efforts. They basically live four months at a time, from harvest to harvest. That's the equivalent of you being paid once every four months. It's great when it's payday, but it won't last long after you pay all your overdue accounts. You will almost always come up short before the next payday. This is not like the States, where, if you lose your job, you can usually find another one. There are far fewer jobs here, and far more people per area.

So I am asking you for a donation, and I apologize if you feel misled. This website was, and is, not about this donation. We are simply trying to help people who work hard,  pay their bills, and take care of their children. I hope you will see that my intentions are clear. I am, in no way, trying to get free money or scam you. If you can help me out on this, it would be greatly appreciated.

There is a paypal button above, and it is secure and protected. All donations will go through the paypal system. There is no official site, or organization involved. It is only one American guy and his family trying to help out their local community. If you can send anything at all, it will be used for the farmers. I realize you don't know me, you don't know if I'm being truthful, or just looking for easy money. And you certainly don't know any of the farmers. But they are real, and they need your help to keep on feeding their families. It will help put food on their tables, clothes on their backs, and they will know there are people out there in the world who do care. I cannot supply you with any receipts, or even post your name, as this will stay as a donation from the heart, and not for recognition.

Do you having any real reason to do this? I can think of only one. To help others who need help. Please think about it. Every dollar will help. I do not expect any huge donations. Would you? But I surely wouldn't turn them down either, when it could help so many. That would be a bit stupid. So, if you feel it in your heart to help me, I thank you.

Please press the donation button and it will take you to the paypal site. I am actually trying to keep up with the demand, but it is a bit out of control right now. The easy answer for me is to say no to them, or just quit helping. But I can't seem to do that. It feels wrong. I ask you to remember that I am a 20 year military veteran; I have my pride and my own morals to follow. As well as my discipline. I have seen pain and suffering in many places, and couldn't do much about it. But I damn sure won't let it happen in my own neighborhood if I can help it! And the bottom line for me is the children. I can't look at them and think that they have nothing to eat. It hurts inside to know you could do something and you just don't want to care enough to try.

The next few pages will explain more, and will keep you up-to-date with the project.

Help us out if you can and thank you for at least reading through this far. Donating a few dollars is not very painful, and it will be put to good use.

Please donate if you can!
Please donate what you can!
I did not set a standard donation amount. I left it up to you, and what you can afford!

Thanks to everyone who has donated! It's being used wisely!