Economic
improvement is what we envisioned for poor Filipino families and to realize
this vision, we are committed to provide livelihood opportunities for our
target beneficiaries to augment their family income.
In
celebration of Women’s Month, Cherry Mobile conducted a Basic Entrepreneurship
and Soap Making (Dishwashing Liquid & Fabric Conditioner) training
for women with diverse cultures, both Christian and Muslim communities in urban
areas to empower them economically,
generate their own income and eventually sustain the basic needs (proper
nutrition for kids, quality education, decent housing, etc.) of their families.
Over
the centuries, the heads of the families had always been men and this is hinged
on the fact that the family income solely come from the earnings of the father.
To help society see the importance of equality for both men and women, Cherry
Mobile supports women by giving them access to livelihood opportunities toward
economic growth.
The first
training was held in Brgy. 275 Delpan, Manila, to benefit mothers and adult
women residing in Barangay 275. This training was in coordination with Damayan
ng Maralitang Pilipinong Api, Inc (DAMPA, Inc.), a people’s organization. DAMPA
aims to help solve basic poverty problems of which one is livelihood by
organizing poor communities and enabling these groups to help themselves, and
also by utilizing connections with the government to initiate pro-poor
legislation in both local and national levels. The training was held from 9 AM
to 4 PM with representatives from Honorio M.C. Lopez Technical Institute, Inc.
as the main trainers for the event. Honorio is a TESDA-accredited school
teaching technical livelihood skills for the less privileged local residents
such as making dishwashing liquid and fabric conditioner which they
demonstrated in the training.
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| Ms. Patricia Herrera (left),
Manila Coordinator of DAMPA, Inc., co-organized the event with Ms Red
Penaflor-Anacay, CSR Manager of Cherry Mobile. |
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| Trainers (Ms. Eva Dagocdocan
& Mr. Jackson Yngco) from Honorio M.C. Lopez taught the participating women
how to make the dishwashing liquid using simple materials which they can do at
home as a start-up for micro business. |
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| Participants are glad to
have samples of the dishwashing liquid which they can replicate in their own
homes and sell as their own products. |
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| After the demo session, the
participants were given a chance to repeat the soap making process as a group. |
Another similar training was
conducted in the Muslim community located in Culiat, Quezon City. In
cooperation with Tents of Mercy, the training benefited Muslim micro
entrepreneurs who are just starting with their own business, as well as
housewives who want to gain extra income given during their spare time. Tents of Mercy is a humanitarian aid center
providing various social development programs and services for the needy people.
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| Mothers and young adult
women from the Muslim community eagerly participated in the whole day training. |
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| The trainers enthusiastically
imparted beneficial knowledge to the participants. |
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| The ingredients and
procedures for soap making. |
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| Tents of Mercy Executive
Director MS. Jenny Panelo motivates the participating women to grab and
maximize every opportunity there is for economic breakthrough and growth. |
The participants which numbered to a
total of 75 women enjoyed learning a new livelihood skill and drew inspiration
from the entrepreneurial talk. They gained the motivation to start a business
on their own and cater to the needs of their community.
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| Soap making can be a good
means to generate income to provide for the family while still having time to
keep watch over the house and the kids. |
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A group activity followed the lively
session in which each group discussed key questions in starting a micro
business.
|
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| As part of their training
output, participants gained ideas for long term business goals. |
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| Ummi (nanay) Jamilah shares
how the training gave her an idea to strengthen her current micro business. |
The Basic Entrepreneurship and Soap
Making training is a project under the program TROPANG Cherry: Livelihood and Employment
Opportunities. TRabaho at Oportunidad para sa Bawat PAmilyaNG Pilipino (TROPANG Cherry)is created by Cherry Mobile as employment
assistance for the unemployed and underemployed individuals and groups who
desire to acquire a decent job and attain a better quality in life.
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| This is a collection of the
soaps (dishwashing liquids and fabric conditioners in various colors) created
by the participants during the whole day training. |
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| trainers (Engr. Roberto
Sabado & Ms. Eva Dagocdocan) from Honorio M.C. Lopez Technical Institute |
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| Participants had fun making
soap with Cherry Mobile organizer Ms Del Geavican (left). |
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| Organizers awarded
certificates to participants who completed the whole day training. |
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| One participant gladly
posed before the group soap output for the day (green fabric conditioners and
orange dishwashing liquids). |
Providing highly relevant social
interventions to the unemployed and underemployed sector of society is one way
to show that indeed Cherry CaRES even for those who struggle to achieve gainful
employment.
Written by Keren Grace Tandico
