4 Filipino Social Enterprises You Should Know About
As the country transitions to an unfamiliar new normal, these social enterprises are helping their respective communities by keeping their culture alive.
Transitioning to the new normal, we are leaving a lot of our old ways behind. However, we are also learning new ways, adapting. What we must try to keep alive though, is our identity and our culture. In that light, some social enterprises in the Philippines have vowed to do their part. Not only in keeping our colorful culture alive, but also in enriching their respective communities.
Check out these four social enterprises that make it so natural to support local!
KALIPI Quezon
KALIPI, or Kalipunan ng Liping Pilipina is an association of women under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in the LGU of Kalipi, Quezon Province. As a social enterprise, their main objective is to enrich the livelihood of these women.
KALIPI helps the talented weavers of their province by giving them an avenue to showcase their products to a larger market. This empowers generations of women weavers to continue doing what they do. While inspiring younger weavers to keep this beautiful tradition alive.
Reef Picks
This social enterprise is built around the mission of supporting the coastal communities of Barangay San Andres, Isla Verde, Batangas City. It’s a venture by the passionate individuals of Reef Nomads. What started as an initiative to help people reconnect with the beauty of the ocean, became a small sustainable lifestyle shop. Whose main goal is to help people find items that are less harmful to the environment.
Part of Reef Nomads’ profits goes to its non-profit arm, Batang VIP. They then, handle a series of projects to empower locals. Mainly, the children in the fishing communities. Moreover, instilling appreciation and stewardship for their beloved coastal community.
Coffee For Peace
What’s so interesting about this social enterprise is that it literally saved lives! Coffee For Peace started when their founders helped mediate an informal conflict between certain Migrant and Bangsamoro farming communities.
Involved in an armed conflict over rice field ownerships, the founders thought a dialogue over coffee would bring peace to the parties. And just like that, the two parties avoided killing each other! They also invited surrounding communities to plant coffee together, to maintain a lasting peace.
RELATED: [Mobile Coffee Shops in the PH: A Freshly Brewed Concept]
Liter of Light
What is now a huge global movement to end energy poverty, started small right here in the Philippines!
Liter of Light promised to tell the story of a more than a billion people worldwide who suffer the debilitating effects of energy poverty. Here in the Philippines, they also develop educational programs aiming to shed a new light on energy saving. As of today, over 15 countries are actively participating in this venture.
Thanks to this genius idea, more than 145,000 families in the Philippines are given the right to light up their homes!
READ: Green Business is Good Business
Everyday, we are learning to live more consciously. And these social enterprises are solid examples that we are getting there.
Moving forward, we hope to see a Filipino future where it is normal for us to value a brand’s social impact and importance, rather than just relying on our own convenience and a brand’s existing popularity.
Supporting local is just one of the many ways to achieve a #BetterPhilippines!
