Bato – Catanduanes

Training Program for Abaca and Karagumoy-based Clients of SEDP in Albay and Catanduanes

During the third and fourth weeks of July 2013, another training took part in Bato, in the island of Catanduanes. This training session was also carried out by the SEDcen and SEDP staff. The main outline of the project was as follows.

Background

The Simbag Sa Pag-asenso, Inc. (SEDP) is a leading, church-based local microfinance institution in Bicol Region committed to total advancement of the entrepreneurial poor.

Its five key programs are:

Advocacy and educational services
Social services
Spiritual development and formation services
Scholarship program
Enterprise development services (EDS).

The EDS aims to provide opportunities for upgrading and promoting the selected commodities’ value and market expansion through value chain development. Among these commodities are karagumoy or pandan simplex and abaca or manila hemp.

In the needs assessment conducted by PinoyME among the micro-entrepreneur clients of SEDP, among the needs identified by the clients were entrepreneurship and product development assistance.

It is along this line that the following program has been conceptualized.

Program Objectives

At the end of the program, the participants will have gained the following:

Theoretical and practical knowledge on entrepreneurship
Exposure to best practices, measures and tools in developing and growing their enterprises
Learning of additional weaving designs
Additional skill on designs and product development

Participants

The program is designed for 60 ME clients of SEDP in Albay and Catanduanes. Specifically, the program targets the Manaet Weavers Association based in Bacacay, Albay composed of about 30 members and whose manager, Mrs. Sonia Bodonal, is a client of the SEDP. Furthermore, the program will expand to 30 members in Bato and San Miguel, Catanduanes.

Methodology

Combination of theories, exercises, workshops and application of learning. Classroom lectures will be integrated with demonstration, group exercises and one-on-one mentoring

Manaet Training

SEDcen and SEDP spent two days during the third week of July in the island of Manaet, approximately one hour from Legazpi city where they have their offices in order to carry out another one of their training exercises to empower local farmers and craftsmen. The aim is to help them developing a specific craft to later on aid them in their direct connection to the market. This is done mainly by contacting potential buyers or by displaying the products in the SEDcen showroom located in Legaspi City.

Among all the activities included, the beneficiaries are expected to learn costing, pricing and marketing skills that would potentially help them when later on interacting with the market independently. Other skills such as saving strategies, financing alternatives and personal development factors are also included in this type of training sessions to make sure that the participants take away from the exercise more than just raw concepts.

The target beneficiaries are selected after careful consideration of several factors including income level, craftsmanship, number of children, index of malnutrition among children and area of residence, this way the organizations can make sure they are contributing to improve the standard of living of communities that suffer from underdevelopment or misinformation, enabling them to better their situation, send their children to school and participate in progress and development.

The helpers or trainers consist of social workers and volunteers who travel to the communities to be able to interact with the affected communities on a direct and personal level so that the feedback from the activity in immediate and accurate and the strategies followed can be implemented the way they were designed to. Any deviation from the initial objectives can be modified quickly and efficiently without wasting necessary resources.

The sponsors vary from project to project. In this specific project, PinoyME and Accenture where the main contributors.