The workshop came six months into the Philippines’ nationwide lockdown. With COVID-19 cases continuing to rise, many Filipinos have turned to container gardening for comfort and solace, as well as to kill the time.

Presenting at the workshop was MyGolana Founder Lawrence Huang. MyGolana is a revolutionary new mental health service that offers remote counseling for those in need of it. Established in response to the growing mental health crisis, the organization is working to create safe spaces online in which patients can seek the help of expert mental health practitioners.

“Our mission is very simple… We want to provide universal access to mental health services for everyone,” says Huang. Depression, explains Huang, is among the leading mental disabilities today, afflicting 264 million people. Solutions exist, says Huang, but barriers such as accessibility keep those suffering from depression from seeking help.

Representing WWF-Philippines were Sustainable Farm to Table Project Manager Zeth Antaran and Sustainable Food Systems Project Manager Monci Hinay. Antaran and Hinay have worked together on livelihood projects across the country. As a team, they have combated rural poverty and food insecurity through natural, community-based solutions.

As a result of their work, they have seen the benefits that farming solutions can have for entire communities. “Every project we do is dependent on how good our relationship is with the community. If the relationship we built is strong, if there is trust and confidence in us and in the program, it enables us more to empower these communities,” explains Antaran. Out of these healthy relationships, Antaran and Hinay have seen whole communities flourish on the backs of their farming projects.

“It’s been proven that when you’re doing nature-based activities, such as gardening or planting, it has an impact on our mental wellness. That is one of many reasons as to why it’s important to grow our own plants,” said Hinay. For Hinay, the practice of growing your own plants is a way to take care of both your physical and mental wellbeing.