Four H Handicraft empowers Ifugao women

FOUR H HANDICRAFT, a Nueva Vizcaya-based business, is empowering local women from the Ifugao ethnic group by involving them in the production of its handicrafts.

More than 20 Ifugao women including students are earning from the comfort of their homes by making kitchenware, furniture and other accessories.

“We call them partners and some of the people we work with are single moms and female senior citizens,” Honey Mae B. Cabbigat, head of sales and marketing at Four H Handicraft told BusinessWorld in Filipino.

The Philippines is the second-biggest producer of handicrafts in the world, mainly baskets made from indigenous materials, according to a 2019 study by De La Salle University. It has earned the respect of high-end markets in the US, European Union and Japan, it said.

Ms. Cabbigat, daughter of the owners who also have Ifugao roots, said they are partnering with the ethnic group, especially women, to help them take an active role in improving their lot. They want to get rid of the traditional role of women doing only housework, she added.

She said having a job would help single mothers whose husbands don’t earn much. It would also boost their confidence.

Making handicrafts has become the main source of livelihood for these single moms in the village of Abuyo in Alfonso Castañeda, Nueva Vizcaya, Ms. Cabbigat said, adding that they seek to train more Ifugao women.

Since 2002, Four H Handicraft has been harnessing the talent of Ifugao people in handicrafts, selling their creations primarily at bazaars and trade fairs across the Philippines.

But like most businesses, the company was affected by lockdowns during the global coronavirus pandemic.

The business is now recovering with the support of the Trade department, which organizes bazaars and trade fairs and helps MSMEs adopt digital payment systems.

Recently, Four H Handicraft participated in the International Women’s Bazaar at Farmers Plaza in Cubao, Quezon City, as well as at a community bazaar in SM Manila.

Ms. Cabbigat said she seeks to establish a permanent store location in Metro Manila in the next three to five years, since many of their customers come from the capital region and its nearby provinces. — Edg Adrian A. Ava