A Force for Good

Back in 2002, Belen Sansawi was Secretary of the Barangay Renewable Energy and Community Development Association (BRECDA) of Mandulan, Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, an organization of household electrification beneficiaries of the AMORE Program in the village that was tasked to operate and maintain their renewable energy systems and to further their development. She stood out due to her eloquence, her leadership ability, the orderly yet participatory way in which she conducted meetings, and the efficiency and order with which she kept records. She was one of the driving forces behind her community’s emergence from a totally inexperienced barrio to an organized village. In August 2004, AMORE employed Belen as a full-time Community Development Worker to fully utilize her skills in organizing other communities.