Our Year began as usual with the opening of more nutrition centers, the expansion of new gardens, and the introduction of feeding centers for children ages zero to five years old. However, in March, because of the COVID-19 virus, the country basically shut down. With this national shutdown, the increased need for fresh produce was overwhelming. Our entire focus became increasing the productivity in each of our three gardens, thus providing vegetables for much of the general public who found themselves hungry and in need.
Beginning in early March, 2020, with over 50 million people under lockdown in the Philippines, including the bad of all domestic travel, food became scarce and expensive, resulting in hungry people. Many of the markets, on which locals depend for their daily supplies, lacked the necessary food supply. Because of this unforeseen circumstances, Rise and Rebuild immediately changed direction from providing food for our nutrition centers to giving free food to local churches, villages and towns.
As the spread of the virus increased, so did our work force. To increase production, many of those workers who were previously making bricks and working on construction projects were reassigned to work in the gardens, thus increasing the production of fresh vegetables. We have been producing 300 to 400 pounds of fresh vegetables daily.