Mariel Vincent Rapisura, Author at Social Enterprise Development Partnerships, Inc.

SSEVI Evaluates Quality of Life of GFC Farmers

In December 2012, SEDPI Social Enterprise Ventures, Inc. (SSEVI) conducted a study on the quality of life of the Good Food Community (GFC) farmers. The result showed that a significant number of the farmers are women. In Philippine society, farming is typically the role of the husband. Their average age is 55 years old. Two in every three farmers were able to reach high school. Three out of the four farmers own their lot while the rest are either rent or are caretakers of the land. The average land area cultivated and devoted to organic farming is 8,000 square meters.

Six in every ten farmers shared that they had increase in income because of GFC. Since joining the program, almost all of the farmers shared that their diet improved due to increased consumption of vegetables and meat. All of them are also able to send their children to school. Majority of the farmers explained that GFC was able to help them send their children to school since they are better able to provide allowance to their children and purchase school requirements. Close to three in every ten farmers were able to repair their houses and a few were able to expand their homes and installed electricity when they participated in GFC’s community shared agriculture. Almost all of the respondents attribute their ability to purchase food for their family due to GFC while majority said they are able to pay their utility bills and purchase household items due to the same.

Since joining GFC’s program, more than half of the farmers said that they expanded their farming activity. Based on the assessment of the farmers, their farming business improved from an average rating of 2.87 to 5.40. The farmers were asked on the condition of their farming business with 10 as the best condition and 1 as the poorest condition. Although still far from the ideal business condition, there is marked improvement in the assessment of the farmers.

The farmers were also generally satisfied with the partnership with GFC. The average satisfaction rating was 8.7 out of a possible score of ten. The farmers appreciate the presence of GFC especially that it provides them with an assured market for their vegetable produce. They said that they are able to get better price for their vegetables compared to other trades who would give lower farm gate prices. They also like that GFC provides them with seeds they can plant. What they appreciate most if through GFC’s community shared agriculture program, they are able to have steady source of income.

There are still a lot of challenges that need to be addressed to improve GFC operations. The farmers would like to increase production of their vegetables but there is currently not enough demand for organic vegetables. They also need additional financial assistance and provisions for farm equipment and green houses. GFC plans to address all of these challenges and SSEVI would be providing assistance to GFC to overcome these challenges.

GFC is a social enterprise that implements community shared agriculture. It supports around 20 farmers in Capas, Tarlac by directly linking them to socially aware and health conscious consumers in Metro Manila. GFC was the 2011 winner of the British Council’s “I am a Changemaker” Competition. Since then, SSEVI provided technical assistance to the group. SSEVI is also an equity investor in GFC.

If you are interested to join GFC community as a consumer/subscriber, sign up through this link.

NSCC Mounts Trainings on Internal Control and Strategic Planning for Cooperatives

The Nueva Segovia Consortium of Cooperatives mounted two consecutive trainings on Internal Control and Strategic Planning. The training was held on November 26-29, 2012 in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur. A total of 37 participants from 20 organizations attended the training on Internal Control while 31 participants from 20 organizations attended the Strategic Planning training.

The topics covered for the Internal Control training were: understanding risk management; business cycle approach for internal control; internal controls for human resources, accounting, administrative controls and inventory system; internal audit; audit committee; and external audit. On the other hand the topics covered for the Strategic Planning training include external analysis; internal analysis; institutional values; vision questing; clarifying the mission; setting objectives; formulating key result areas and performance indicators; generating strategic options; crafting programs, activities and tasks; and matching strategic plan with resources.

The trainers were evaluated with an excellent rating of 4.62 for both trainings. The highest rating possible is 5.00 and the lowest is 1.00.

SEDPI Chairperson Speaks at ADMU Social Entrepreneurship Conference

“Social Entrepreneurs must choose institutions on the basis of long terms relationships rather than transactional ones”, said Mr. Edwin Salonga, SEDPI’s Chairperson, in his speech during the Ateneo De Manila University’s 3^rd Annual Social Entrepreneurship Conference. The theme for the year’s conference was “Enabling social Enterprise Harnessing Opportunities for Social Impact”. The two-day conference aimed to shed light on key opportunities for social enterprises in the Philippines. It served as an avenue for stakeholders and social entrepreneurs to gauge existing opportunities in the areas of financing opportunities for social enterprises, the Social Enterprise Bill, technology and social entrepreneurship, and partnership opportunities with the government.

In his speech, Mr. Salonga talked about sifting through financing options for start up and growing social enterprises. He discussed that financing needs vary across the stages of the social enterprise. Mr. Salonga related SEDPI Capital’s experience on getting financial support which diversified as the institution transitioned from the start up stage to expansion stage. He added that there is a wide array of financing possibilities available to social enterprises. Social entrepreneurs, then, must be able to strategically choose which among the options fit the needs of their social enterprise. Such is the key which will allow the social enterprise to get more financing opportunities as they grow. Other speakers were Mark Ruiz of Microventures Inc., Human Nature’s Anna Meloto-Wilk and Congressman Teddy Casiño were also present among others.

The two-day conference, which was held last November 8 – 9, 2012 at the Leong Hall Auditorium of Ateneo De Manila University, was co-presented by the Development Studies Program of ADMU, the Philippine Social Enterprise Network (PHILSEN), and Ateneo Center for Social Entrepreneurship. Other collaborators for the event were Counselo Foundation, the Foundation for Sustainable Society, Oikocredit and Peace and Equity Foundation.

SEDPI Chairperson Speaks at ADMU Social Entrepreneurship Conference

In his speech, Mr. Salonga talked about sifting through financing options for start up and growing social enterprises. He discussed that financing needs vary across the stages of the social enterprise. Mr. Salonga related SEDPI Capital’s experience on getting financial support which diversified as the institution transitioned from the start up stage to expansion stage. He added that there is a wide array of financing possibilities available to social enterprises. Social entrepreneurs, then, must be able to strategically choose which among the options fit the needs of their social enterprise. Such is the key which will allow the social enterprise to get more financing opportunities as they grow. Other speakers such as Jaime Ayala (Ernst and Young’s 2012 Social Entrepreneur of the Year), Mark Ruiz of Microventures Inc., Human Nature’s Anna Meloto-Wilk and Congressman Teddy Casiño were also present among others.

SEDPI, ASoG and OFSPES Launch Program for OFW Families

Last October 27, 2012, the first batch of FLSE in the Philippines was launched at the St. John Nuemann Migrants’ Center at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Baclaran, Paranaque City. FLSE stands for Financial Literacy, Leadership and Social Entreprneurship (FLSE) Training Program. The co-implementors of the program are Ateneo de Manila University School of Governance (ASoG), Overseas Filipinos Society for the Promotion of Economic Security (OFSPES), and Social Enterprise Development Partnerships, Inc. (SEDPI). The programs envisions Filipino migrants and their families united towards supporting each other in becoming empowered and highly respected members of society, consciously contributing to nation building.

FLSE lasts for six months. It aims to empower families of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) towards economic security and become agents of transformation. It focuses on key areas of leadership, financial literacy and social entrepreneurship towards local community and national development. Cristina Liamzon, President of OFSPES, said that the FLSE course is an integrated program to bring together knowledge and skills building in the three subject areas. One of the concrete end goals of the program is the development and presentation of a social enterprise business plan, which is a requirement to receive the certificate of completion of the course. The business plan will serve as the avenue for the participants to apply knowledge and skills gained from the program. FLSE is also established to complement the remittance-sender focused Leadership, Social Entrepreneurship (LSE) training program, which is now on its 14^th run with batches from Europe, Dubai and Hongkong.

FLSE has a total of 24 participants from different areas in Metro Manila. Majority of the participants have relatives and families working overseas while some used to work as OFWs and has returned in the country.

Financial Literacy and Remittances

“Financial literacy taught me to think long term and make the most out of the remittance I receive from my daughter”, said Mrs. Concepcion Adviento, one of the 18 participants of the Financial Literacy for Remittance Receivers training held last November 10, 2012 in Baclaran. She also added that the training helped her enhance her skills in budgeting by learning how to focus on the right things which will ultimately help not only her family here in the Philippines but my son who works in Dubai as well.

As a core component of the FLSE Program, financial literacy intends to provide the foundation of personal finance through topics on remittance management, savings, debt management, and insurance. The financial literacy training also discussed the stages of migration, importance of remittance and the cost of dependency on it. Also highlighted in the discussions were savings, developing financial goals, debt management and insurance. From these topics, participants were provided with tools that they can readily use for proper personal finance management. In addition, choosing appropriate remittance providers and money transfer organizations was also presented in one of the sessions. During the training, the participants shared the difficulties and challenges they experienced as well as those experienced by their relatives working abroad. They identified primary concerns such as communication problems, managing income and expenses and achieving their plans. Through the topics discussed, these issues are hoped to be addressed. Mr. Rowaldo Zapata said the he learned how to budget money and spend wisely. Ms. Lea Nicol added that financial literacy would help her become self sufficient which would allow her to depend less on remittance and at the same time become a role model for the community. Furthermore, Ms. Letlet Bondal mentioned that she learned more about the process of budgeting that helped her become more systematic and detailed in drawing out her financial plans. All of these are geared towards achieving their own dreams as well as that of their relatives working abroad.

ADMU, OFSPES and SEDPI hope that by 2013, FLSE can be conducted in other key cities in the country with high concentration of OFW families. The program is also implemented in collaboration with the Department of Labor and Employment and the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA).

SEDPI and CSIP Deliver Social Entrepreneurship Training in Vietnam

Social entrepreneurs have the best chance of combining social issues and business solutions to bring about greater change in our society today. The challenge, however, is to encourage more people to join the social entrepreneurship sector and equip them with the skills necessary to run successful social enterprises.

One institution that has risen to the challenge is Center for Social Initiatives Promotion or CSIP. CSIP, in partnership with SEDPI, conducted a training course on Start Your Social Enterprise. The training was held in Hanoi, Vietnam from October 11 to 13, 2012. There were 25 participants from 9 different social enterprises. The training gives a brief introduction into the world of social entrepreneurship and discusses different operational models that their SEs can utilize. The training also presents different tools that the participants can use in identifying opportunities, analyzing stakeholders, and recognizing resource needs. By the end of the three-day training, participants presented their social enterprise plans. The social enterprise that was most innovative, viable and high impact would be awarded prize money. The panel of judges were made up of SEDPI and CSIP staff who journeyed with the social entrepreneurs throughout the course.

CSIP is a non-government organization that supports social entrepreneurs in Vietnam. They provide support to social enterprises that are in their start-up and expansion by looking for different kinds of funding to sustain their operations and they harness networks that can offer technical support to these SEs. CSIP aims to raise awareness and mobilize government, other enterprises and surrounding communities to collaborate for the social entrepreneurship sector.

The recently concluded training course is part of the SEDPI-CSIP partnership to strengthen the capacity of CSIP to deliver training course on social entrepreneurship. Under the agreement, SEDPI will provide training of trainers and assist in the training design, module development and pilot test of their SE training courses.

During the three-day training course, both SEDPI and CSIP delivered sessions to the participants. SEDPI sent President and CEO Mariel Vincent Rapisura and Program Officer Denise Subido to train the social entrepreneurs in Vietnam. SEDPI hopes that CSIP can learn different training techniques that will aid them in the delivery of the next training courses.

KDCI Staff Receives Diploma in Microfinance from ADMU

“The knowledge I gained during the course helped me understand deeper my work and my role in KDCI”, said Mr. Erickson Bagsic. He is currently a field manager of Kasagana-Ka Development Center Inc. (KDCI) and is one of the eight KDCI staff who received a Diploma in Microfinance from Ateneo De Manila University. Ms. Lala Dacallos, who also received the diploma, added that the whole experience was enjoyable because of collective learning with her fellow KDCI staff. The diploma was conferred last October 5, 2012 during KDCI’s celebration of its 10^th anniversary. SEDPI’s President, Mariel Vincent Rapisura and the Director of ADMU’s Development Studies Program, Leland Joseph Dela Cruz were present to award the certificates.

In addition to the diploma, 16 KDCI staff also received certificate of completion for having completed the modular requirements of the Diploma in Microfinance course. Ms. Judylyn Joven, one of the staff awarded with the certificate of completion and also the current Chief Operations Officer of KDCI, said that “Our learning from the course allowed us to know that we are doing the right things in terms of running our microfinance program.

The diploma course is part of the capacity building partnership between ADMU, SEDPI and KDCI. SEDPI started to deliver ADMU microfinance courses to KDCI in 2009. Ms. Celine Ramos, HR Officer of KDCI, stated that “the initiative built the capacity of the staff to participate in discourses and dialogues on microfinance. As a result, the staff became innovative in developing ideas and solutions to challenges encountered”. Ms. Joven added that “this collaborative effort from ADMU, SEDPI and KDCI will develop the capacity of KDCI staff toward a common goal of helping the clients of the institution”.

In 2010, KDCI was established as ADMU and SEDPI’s training hub partner in Metro Manila. The training hub partnership aims to strengthen the capacity of microfinance practitioners in Metro Manila and nearby provinces. Through this, more participants are expected to receive their diploma in the coming years.

Training on Effective Leadership and Values Re-orientation Held

Last October 5, 2012 the members of Cooperative Bank of La Union (CBLU) attended SEDPI’s training on Effective Leadership and Values Re-orientation. The training, which was held at Subic International Hotel, aims to provide a deeper understanding of human behaviour and institutional values towards effective leadership in organizations. A total of 90 participants from 36 cooperative-members of CBLU attended the training.

Effective leadership is among the significant foundations of a successful cooperative. The training focused on organization behaviour and key principles of effective leadership in cooperatives. One of the activities conducted is the identification of leadership style. Through this, participants were given an understanding of their personal leadership style and how it can be developed to adapt to cooperative situations.

Participants commented that the training is very helpful, especially to newly established cooperatives. They also mentioned that the training was conducted in a participative and interactive manner which resulted to better understanding of the course.

Effective leadership and values re-orientation is one of the courses required by the Cooperative Development Authority. The training was conducted in partnership with the Nuevo Segovia Consortium of Cooperatives and the management of Cooperative Bank of La Union.

SEDPI Showcases Financial Literacy Program in Rome

The Global Filipino Diaspora Council (GFDC) in collaboration with the Filipino-Italian Members of the Global Filipino Diaspora Council (GFDC), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Scalibrini Institute of Migration Onlus (SIMIONLUS), the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) and the Philippine Embassy in Rome, as co-convenor, hosted the Diaspora-to-Dialogue (D2D): 1^st Conference of Filipinos in Europe on 27-29 September 2012 in Rome, Italy.

The objective of D2D in Rome is designed to provide a forum for Europe-based Filipino organizations and associations on issues regarding migrant socio-economic integration and re-integration in host and home country processes thereby empowering Filipino migrants for development both in their host country and in the Philippines.

SEDPI shared its experience on financial literacy and channeling migrant investments to rural development during the conference. Mr. Mariel Vincent Rapisura, SEDPI GSE President and CEO showed the financial snapshots of migrants under the Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship program that it implements with the Ateneo School of Government and OFSPES. He also showed the impact of financial literacy to migrants.

The audience during the conference were wowed when Mr. Rapisura shared the success story of SEDPI GSE. He shared that the current PhP150 million portfolio invested in various microfinance institutions and social enterprises in the Philippines only started with a PhP45,000 investment. Mr. Rapisura also reported that SEDPI has conducted financial literacy trainings to almost 2,000 Overseas Filipinos in 14 countries worldwide.

After his presentation, Mr. Rapisura recommended that the governments both the Philippines and host countries to support financial literacy programs for migrants and their families; establishment of an endowment fund to continuously provide financial literacy trainings; and the Philippine government to provide incentives for the establishment of social enterprises.

AFCCO Management Staff Undergoes Training on Financial Analysis

Social Enterprise Development Partnerships, Inc. (SEDPI) conducted a training on Financial Analysis with Abuyog St. Francis Xavier Credit Cooperative (AFCCO) on September 18-19, 2012. The training, which was held in Abuyog, Leyte, aims to teach participants various ways of understanding and measuring the financial performance of microfinance institutions. A total of 25 participants from AFCCO attended the training. This includes top and middle management officers, field agents and support staff.

Financial analysis is among the key functions of people working in the microfinance industry. To enhance the participants’ knowledge on how to perform these functions better, financial statements, record adjustments, and financial ratios were discussed. Participants also learned how to compute for various measures used in assessing portfolio quality, efficiency, profitability, and financial structure.

The training focused on case studies and workshops which allowed participants to practice their financial analysis skills. Actual financial records of AFCCO were used to discuss the topics. This allowed participants to understand and appreciate the topics better. It also gave them a chance to review their financial performance in the past five years and see the financial implications of the changes implemented under the technical and mentoring assistance (TAMA) program of SEDPI.

Representatives from the People’s Development Trust Fund (PDTF) were also present in the training. The trainers, Ms. Florence Adviento and Ms. Cherryl Si, received excellent evaluations in terms of knowledge, delivery, and overall skills as trainer. Participants were very thankful for the training. They described the training as “challenging” and “interesting”. They also appreciated the training for being useful in achieving the cooperative’s social mission and financial sustainability.