Empower Filipino teenage girl survivors of abuse

Cultivating organic oyster mushrooms has translated into cultivating hope among the girls of Tahanan Sta. Luisa, as it is a multi-step process which enhances their confidence-building and their productive skills. Organic oyster mushrooms are a high-value crop which require careful handling from the early stages to harvest time to packaging.

The girls first learned about different kinds of edible mushrooms, their nutritional value, the benefits of mushroom production, and ways of cooking and eating them. Their project began when the the city's Bureau of Plant Industry donated 1,000 mushroom fruiting bags, which the girls hung in columns in a properly-built grow shed beside their house. They wait for the substrate in the bags to be fully colonized (or until the bags turn white) -  maintaining a cool temperature in the shed by misting the sides and flooring. They moisten and clean the fruiting bags as the mushroom babies emerge, not all at the same time, and check daily for mushrooms ready for harvest after around 5 days.

The daily harvest of mushrooms are packed in aerated bags of 250 g each and sold at prices competitive with supermarket prices. A Trustee residing in a nearby community advertises the freshly-harvested mushrooms to her neighbors and takes orders for this in-demand produce of organic oyster mushrooms. The girls are happy about this win-win situation. They learn to cultivate and harvest and package and sell their produce while buyers are happy to enjoy these fresh-from-the-farm mushrooms. The girls and buyers especially enjoy sharing and trying different mushroom recipes – from fresh mushroom salads, to stir-fry, to crispy salt-and-pepper mushrooms. Finally, the mushroom buyers learn more about Tahanan’s programs and are motivated to support Tahanan Sta. Luisa in other ways as well.