Wilfredo Endionela and Charlie Lopez

Meet Charlie: Agricultural Extension Staff from Tao-Kalikasan Foundation of the Philippines, Inc. (TKFPI) - an environmental conservation organization with a heart for nature conservation and helping farmers’ and indigenous people’s families in Camarines Norte.

TKFPI’s journey with creating abaca products began five years ago as a result of a learning exchange in Albay, where they crafted abaca carpets for export to Europe. Now, TKFPI provides an alternative and additional source of livelihood to farmers’ wives and daughters who comprise 70% of the organization’s members and were trained as home-based weavers.