LWR, PBSP Boost Economic Resilience of Women Through Livelihood Project

Roslyn Chavez, a housewife from Bantayan island in Cebu, believes she can contribute to the family’s daily financial needs if she could manage a sari-sari store in their area. With four children who are still studying and a husband who works as a construction worker, a sari-sari store is one of the easiest options she could think of to help her family.

This initially came true when the Kaongkod Womens Livelihood Association (KAWLA) was able to put up its own consumer store in 2015, where members take turns in administering every day.

This was made possible through the Accelerating Women Empowerment through Sustainable Opportunities for Microenterprises and Employment or Project AWESOME who provided interventions that included provision of skills and enterprise development trainings, provision of capital for livelihood opportunities, organizational strengthening to increase women-owned or operated tourism-related enterprises, and facilitation of access to market, finance, and other business development services through public-private partnerships.

ECONOMIC RESILIENCE AMONG WOMEN

The program seeks to expand economic opportunities through the engagement of the private sector and partner organizations, and links communities to the value chain of companies for a more sustainable impact.

Project AWESOME managed by Philippine Business for Social Progress with support from Lutheran World Relief, boosted the economic resilience of 2,185 unemployed and underemployed women in the northern Cebu towns of Bantayan, Santa Fe, Madridejos, and Daanbantayan who are mostly limited to engage in paid work.

PBSP partnered with Cebu’s business groups for skills trainings, apprenticeship, and employment-matching activities so female beneficiaries can be provided with access to opportunities in the tourism industry as employees or entrepreneurs.

The project also worked with local government units for increased access to programs and services that support start-up enterprises for women. This includes linkages with financial institutions and savings associations in the development and implementation of savings funds.

KAWLA members were also taught how to properly manage their funds through the creation of a community-managed savings and credit association (CoMSCA), which offers a simple savings and loan facility in their community in lieu of formal financial services.

Since setting up their CoMSCA savings in January 2018, KAWLA was able to pool PhP100,000 worth of shares from their members in June 2018 and set up an emergency fund facility. The group also became a licensed grains retailer of their barangay, mostly catering to 4Ps beneficiaries. From their added assets, their consumer store has already pooled almost PhP75,000 of net profit in just one month. Their combined gains allowed the members to get at least PhP2,000 worth of net shares, excluding the funds they set aside for their revolving enterprise.

“With the CoMSCA scheme, we learned discipline and wise spending. We also learned how to create a social fund for emergencies. We owe our survival to PBSP because they came at the time we needed them the most,” Chavez said.

SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD FOR COMMUNITIES

Project AWESOME is a component of PBSP’s flagship program for livelihood and enterprise development, which focuses on supporting agro-enterprise value chain development and improving access to jobs through skills upgrading and employment facilitation.

The program seeks to expand economic opportunities through the engagement of the private sector and partner organizations, and links communities to the value chain of companies for a more sustainable impact.

Project AWESOME also helped increase the women’s capability to prepare for and cope with disasters by establishing a savings association and facilitating linkages to insurance and social protection services.

The project revisited existing disaster risk reduction and management plans from the local government units to make it gender responsive, which helped advocate for more women participation in the crafting of plans and activities.

It also created partnerships and strategic alliances among women entrepreneurs and improved the information dissemination on new markets, innovations, and trends through networking events.