SEDPI Develops Climate Adaptation Support Service with the Climate Change Commission

The Climate Change Commission (CCC) engaged SEDPI to the development of a Climate Adaptation Support Service (CASS) aligned with the eco-town framework. The eco-town framework or ecologically sustainable and economically stable communities, aims to build the resiliencies of both the communities and ecosystems towards the impacts climate change. CCC hopes to demonstrate this framework in various sites in the Philippines with the goal of developing communities and ecosystems that are resilient to the impact of the changing climate.

The engagement has four components: (1) review and inventory of conditional cash transfers; (2) program design development for CASS; (3) conduct of financial literacy trainings; and (4) development of CASS transfer mechanism.

The eco-town demonstration also primes the municipality or group of municipalities in their decision making through the integration of climate change in their local planning process. Among the seven components of the eco-town, the Climate Adaptation Support Service (CASS) both addresses vulnerabilities of communities and ecosystems by increasing their economic and climate change resiliencies, respectively. CASS serves as an interim assistance that will be provided to the vulnerable communities in the aim of attaining economic resiliency. It was essentially designed to compensate members of the communities for undertaking sustainable management of natural resources and ecosystems that in effect decreases the vulnerabilities of the communities and the ecosystems to the impacts of climate change. It targets households with income below the poverty threshold that are located within high risk areas of the eco-town.

SEDPI Assists Oxfam International on Social Entrepreneurship in Maguindanao

Oxfam is exploring the possibility of using social entrepreneurship as a strategy in making its Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Program. It originally envisions to form a community-based social enterprise which is grassroots-led. In a meeting conducted on January 30, 2013, SEDPI provided a framework to Oxfam to explore a different approach to the community-based social enterprise. SEDPI explained that grassroots-led community based social enterprises, while noble, have very long gestation periods. This is mainly because the grassroots typically do not have the necessary skills, knowledge, resources, networks and opportunities to become sustainable.

SEDPI introduced the concept of value chain analysis as a means to come up with a social enterprise model to implement WASH. The strategy focuses on identifying functions in the value chain where the grassroots or microenterprises could participate. The subsector approach is also market-based. This will not pre-judge the entity that needs to be created to support the establishment of a social enterprise to implement WASH.

The project has four components: (1) training on social entrepreneurship and subsector approach to Oxfam staff and community leaders; (2) conduct of subsector research; (3) social enterprise ideation workshop; (4) generation of social enterprise models.

At the end of the project, Oxfam hopes to come up with a more sustainable solution to implement the WASH program.

SEDPI, CCC Start Eco-Town Project in Palawan

San Vicente is a municipality in Palawan noted for its long beach front and dense forest covers. While it is classified as a first-class municipality, it remains vulnerable, environmentally and economically, to the devastating effects of climate change. The Climate Change Commission (CCC), through the National Climate Change Action Plan (NCAP), aims to build the resiliency of municipalities like San Vicente by creating eco-towns or ecologically sustainable and economically stable communities. The Social Enterprise Development Partnerships, Inc. (SEDPI) was contracted by the CCC to help San Vicente become an eco-town.

The San Vicente project commenced October 2013 and ended with the final fieldwork January 2014. It prioritized as beneficiaries those from poor families, especially women, who are micro-entrepreneurs and are also beneficiaries of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4 Ps).

Through SEDPI’s financial literacy workshops, participants are given the opportunity to break from unhealthy financial practices and cultivate a mindset that welcomes financial power as a value. This is a crucial first step to start a trend of strategic financial planning in the family.

This project requires the active leadership of the local government unit (LGU). The LGU’s role is critical as it should be able to create local legislation to make San Vicente friendly to microfinance and enterprise development. In aid of that, SEDPI facilitated an orientation that should give the officers a general direction in terms of creating ordinances that would secure a well-functioning market and a healthy financing scheme for the beneficiaries.

SEDPI is proud to be part of the San Vicente project. It has played the vital role of bringing together CCC, the San Vicente LGU, Dungganon Bank, and the locals to map the road towards eco-town. And SEDPI is dedicated to see this through, until San Vicente harvests its first fruit, or vegetable, of tangible success.

SEDPI Trains LGU for Eco-Town Project

SEDPI, in partnership with the Climate Change Commission (CCC), provided local government officers of San Vicente, Palawan trainings on Microfinance and Enterprise Development, and Making Markets Work for the poor. The trainings were held on January 14-16 and January 28-30 respectively. Trainings were given as part of CCC’s project of creating eco-towns or economically stable and ecologically sustainable communities which can withstand the disastrous effects of climate change.

The trainings were provided after SEDPI conducted market research on value chain analysis (VCA) to identify (a) financial service providers in town; (b) agricultural market players with roles in flow of goods, transportation, tourism; and (c) interventions and plans of the local government unit regarding agriculture, fishing, and tourism. The training shall help the LGU make San Vicente conducive for microfinance and microenterprises that will sprout from the eco-town project. The VCA identified that there is demand for vegetables in San Vicente. It is ideal as it requires low capitalization, high possibility of community participation, and high income potential.

A total of 21 LGU officers were trained for both trainings. They were all greatly satisfied and a few even requesting more related trainings. SEDPI trainers received positive feedback from the participants for efficiently conducting trainings. A participant even remarked, “Excellent, well-versed and lively speakers! Congratulations for job well done and thank you for the enlightenment and knowledge you impart.” The process does not end here, though as the LGU’s role is critical as it should exhaust every possible means to lead the project to success.

San Vicente LGU adds to the long list of SEDPI’s accomplishments. Hopefully, SEDPI will be able to extend its expertise to other LGUs in socially meaningful projects like the eco-town project of the CCC.

SEDPI Taps Microfinace Institution for Palawan Eco-Town Project

SEDPI, as partner in Climate Change Commission’s (CCC) eco-town project, facilitated a meeting between the Local Government of San Vicente, Palawan and the Dungganon Bank, on January 17, 2013. This meeting aimed to explore the possibility of making Dungganon the financial service provider for the eco-town project. The CCC project hopes to create economically stable and ecologically sustainable communities to address vulnerabilities brought about by Climate Change.

SEDPI Team, two San Vicente local government unit (LGU) officers and two municipal council members went to Dungganon-Roxas Branch to meet its Branch Manager, Mr. Rolando Deniega. It was advised that Dungganon conducts orientation with possible clients, especially those residents who are beneficiaries of DSWD’s 4Ps and who were trained on Financial Literacy by SEDPI. The orientation for the residents will highlight the promotion of Dungganon’s savings product to encourage them to save at least one to two months before considering availing loans.

An important part of the project is for the LGU to create ordinances to make San Vicente conducive for microfinance and enterprise development. The LGU should also ensure that a reputable microfinance institution, in this case, the Dungganon Bank, offer financial products that participants can avail to at least finance the start-up of their livelihood. In aid of that, SEDPI facilitated trainings on microfinance and enterprise development, and Making Markets Work for the Poor to 21 participants from the LGU. The LGU is tasked to provide trainings on vegetable farming and farm management to the 4P beneficiaries. This is to ensure that the capacity of the vegetable farmers to manage backyard gardens are sufficient to pay of loans from Dungganon Bank.

SEDPI hopes that participation of local banks in government projects and their openness to extend their products to the poor will do wonders in the overall resiliency of the community. Their involvement in the project should result to wider financial inclusion for those who never had the experience of being involved in financial systems. It should provide local banks opportunity to cater to clients not tapped before, and as a result, should push them to come up with more financial products and services.

SSEVI Assists Route +63 and Solar Solutions

SEDPI Social Enterprise Ventures, Inc. (SSEVI), the social enterprise incubator of SEDPI Group of Social Enterprises, provided capacity building to two budding social enterprises. SSEVI’s President and CEO, Mariel Vincent Rapisura, facilitated a review of Route +63’s strategic plan and provided a loan package for Solar Solutions to sell its products last January 12-13, 2013.

Route +63 aims to be the leading organizer of socially and environmentally responsible trips in the Philippines. Through its activities, it hopes to spur local economic development through sustainable tourism. Route +63 targets to serve 15,000 local and international tourists by 2017. The organization has already mounted trips to Sagada, Banaue rice terraces and Bataan. The trips had a special social, environmental or cultural agenda. The Sagada trip not only made the tourists appreciate nature but also the coffee culture of locals. Those who joined the tour in Banaue had the chance to volunteer their labor in rehabilitating rice terraces. In Bataan, the tourists protected the eggs and hatchlings of the Pawikan (Philippine turtle).

Solar solutions is a social enterprise that provides technical and expert advice on the design and deployment of renewable energy. It designs solar energy systems to homes and communities, solar-powered waste water treatment. It also undertakes research and development on solar systems. The main goal is to make renewable energy available and affordable to more people and communities.

SSEVI currently provides support services to 12 start up social enterprises all over the Philippines. Support services include assistance on business registration; setting up of accounting system; external audit support; facilitation of strategic planning; social enterprise advice; access to funds and market linkaging. It hopes to grow social enterprises to become part of its growing development portfolio

ADMU AND BPI Globe BanKO Renews Partnership

With the shared mission of sustainable development and financial inclusion through developing capacities of microfinance institutions, the Ateneo De Manila University and BPI Globe BanKO inked another milestone to its partnership. The renewal of partnership between these two institutions hopes to extend further capacity building assistance and services to microfinance institutions in the country.

ADMU and BPI Globe BanKO Through the Years

The partnership between ADMU and BPI Globe BanKO started in 2007 during which one of the primary concerns of in terms of sustainability of microfinance operations is the lack of capacity building. “Back then, microfinance institutions need more than money for capital. They need to build their capacity in order to reach sustainability”, said Mariel Vincent Rapisura, Program Manager of the ADMU Microfinance Capacity Building Program. This idea became central to the establishment of the first partnership between ADMU and BPI Globe BanKO. The joint initiative aims to equip microfinance institutions – rural banks, cooperatives, non-government organizations – with relevant knowledge, skills and tools that will help them strengthen and boost their microfinance operation.  It delivers research-based capacity building services to participants which allow them to identify practical points that can readily be applied to their respective institutions.

From an initial 6 training courses, the ptogram’s number of courses expanded to 35. These include core courses on fundamentals and methodologies of microfinance, market-based product design and development, delinquency management and financial analysis. To date, a total of 89 training events have been delivered to more than 1,800 participants from 279 microfinance institutions all over the Philippines. This translates to an outreach of at least 2 million microfinance clients. The training courses have also attracted participants from Asia particularly Indonesia, Singapore and Cambodia.

Establishment of Training Hubs

The rise in the demand for affordable training prompted the program to develop an innovative strategy that could address the issue. Mr. Rapisura said “If training events are conducted in Manila, other expenses far exceed the registration fee for the training. This makes institutions hesitant to send their staff. In order to address this, strategic partnerships with microfinance institutions are formed to localize the delivery of training”.  Through the establishment of training hubs, training courses are made more accessible to microfinance practitioners especially those outside Metro Manila. This strategy allowed for wider geographical coverage of the training. Current training hubs include Alalay sa Kaunlaran Inc. (ASKI) in Central Luzon, Nueva Segovia Consortium of Cooperatives (NSCC) in Northern Luzon, Community Rural Bank of Catmon (CRBC) in Cebu, Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation (NWTF) in Western Visayas, Metro Ormoc Community Cooperative (OCCCI) and Eastern Visayas Cooperative Federation (EVCF) in Leyte and Kasagana-Ka Development Center Inc. (KDCI) in Metro Manila.

Way forward

The Philippines has a relatively mature microfinance industry. The track record of the partnership, however, showed that as the landscape of industry shifted so has the challenges. Institutional capacity therefore must continuously be able to adapt to these changes. Mr. Rapisura added further that “capacity building is a loop. As a facilitator of the process, we commit ourselves to innovation to ensure that the partnership bears fruitful results”. These include identification of strategic training hub locations; development of new modules; and direct technical assistance to microfinance institutions.

ADMU and BPI Globe BanKO shall relentlessly provide quality capacity building to microfinance institutions in order to safeguard achievement of the common goal.

SEDPI GSE Registers a Foundation

SEDPI Foundation is the latest member of the SEDPI Group of Social Enterprises (SEDPI GSE). It was registered on January 4, 2013. The foundation is part of SEDPI GSE’s vision of establishing sustainable social enterprises for the economic empowerment of the poor. SEDPI Foundation will be a support organization for social enterprises and microfinance institutions that facilitates development programs for the poor.

The banner strategy of SEDPI Foundation is the establishment of an endowment fund for capacity building to empower the poor. The other members of SEDPI GSE will donate to this endowment fund annually. The foundation will also mobilize donations from different sectors of society.

What makes the SEDPI Endowment Fund different from others?

First, the endowment fund will solely be used for capacity building to empower the poor. This could be in the form of education scholarships for the children from very poor households; conduct of trainings to poor Overseas Filipinos and their families; and technical assistance to development organizations such as social enterprises and microfinance institutions. Second, unlike other endowment funds, 100% of the corpus or principal of the endowment will be invested in development organizations that have demonstrated financial sustainability. This emphasizes the trust of SEDPI GSE on socially responsible investments. Third, only the interest of the corpus or the principal of the endowment fund will be used for capacity building activities of the foundation.

The foundation will also be the corporate social responsibility arm of SEDPI GSE and will institutionalize its outreach activities and advocacy programs. Social innovations and experiments that are not aligned in the core strategies and activities of other SEDPI GSE members will also be done in the foundation.

SEDPI Foundation hopes to be accredited with the Philippine Council for NGO Certification to enable it to have donations deductible when individuals or corporations pay for their income taxes.

SEDPI is Minor Stockholder in Good Food Community, Inc.

Good Food Community, Inc. (GFC) was formally registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 28, 2011. GFC envisions a nationwide movement of socially responsible consumers supporting community shared agriculture. It has a total authorized capitalization of PhP4 million.

GFC aims to uplift the lives of small farmers by bringing them into community with socially responsible consumers. It invites customers to become real stakeholders in the food system by committing to purchase a share of the vegetable harvest regularly for a fixed period. In this way, farmers are assured of a more stable demand and regular income. Beyond a more humane economics, GFC aims to cultivate community between and among consumers and farmers.

In 2010, GFC won in the “I am a Changemaker” competition of the British Council. It was initated by a group of young professionals called Hungrily. Last 2011, GFC was able to reach out to 20 farmers in Tarlac and almost 100 socially responsible consumers in Metro Manila with a total sales volume of more than one million pesos.

SEDPI President and CEO Appears in ANC’s “On the Money”

Tough love. This was the message of SEDPI’s President and CEO during his TV guesting at the ABS-CBN News Channel. “On the Money” is ANC’s latest show on personal finance. Mr. Rapisura talked about the financial literacy program of SEDPI in partnership with the Ateneo de Manila University and Overseas Filipinos’ Society for the Promotion of Economic Security (OFSPES).

During the show, Mr. Rapisura provided tips on how OFWs should manage their finances to be able to attain financial security. He provided advice on saving, debt management and socially responsible investments. Mr. Rapisura also gave true to life examples of participants he trained who turned their financial standing around for the better.

“On the Money” is hosted by Edric Mendoza, Salve Duplito and Melissa Gecolea. It is a production of ABS-CBN’s sister company ANC. It hopes to teach Filipinos how to manage better their personal finances. The show features finance experts, professional money managers and life coaches who dispense advice and answer questions from viewers. The show was recently awarded as the best show in the Philippines on personal finance.

The episode was aired on December 24, 2012 and could be viewed through this link.