These communities are geographically isolated, requiring long travel through the mountains on bumpy trails made for motorcycles or walking. The difficult passage to reach these communities makes it challenging to access basic necessities, earn a living and integrate into the local economy.
These upland communities are resilient, despite having limited access to materials and economic development opportunities. During Aklan TREKKERS' outreach missions, donations such as hygiene materials, food, books and medicine are collected and distributed to the community. There are also focus group discussions conducted between community members, professionals, and Aklan TREKKERS leaders to determine alternative sustainable livelihood.s Some communities that Aklan TREKKERS have worked with now sell their native vine weavings for income and are also developing ecotourism ventures where people can pay to travel to their community and experience the untouched nature that esists in these places.
The needs of these upland communities are semi-supported by the local government, but a lot of the time it falls to NGOs to assist in more concrete support.
