SM Green Finds empowers vulnerable communities
SM Green Finds’ livelihood project in collaboration with renowned social entrepreneur and designer Zarah Juan created nearly 100 jobs, including opportunities for independent artisans and people deprived of liberty (PDL) in Quezon City, fostering economic growth and skill development in vulnerable communities.
The project focused on environmental sustainability by repurposing 34,000 square feet of used tarpaulins–an area equivalent to seven NBA basketball courts–into stylish and durable tote bags and pouches. This upcycling effort not only helped reduce waste but also provided practical and entrepreneurial training for participants, enhancing their job prospects and overall quality of life.
More than 52 skilled artisans from Bulacan turned the design into reality. The PDLs were responsible for cleaning and readying the discarded tarpaulins for sewing.
“The tarp bag project significantly empowered and upskilled more than 30 female PDLs in Quezon City. By providing them with practical and entrepreneurial skills and a sense of purpose and dignity, the project helped improve their overall well-being and future reintegration prospects,” shared Jail Chief Inspector Lourvina Abrazado, Warden, Quezon City Jail.
The bags were designed by Juan with functionality and aesthetics that go beyond fleeting trends.
SM Green Finds x Zarah Juan The Tarp Project bags are available at Kultura branches nationwide. Tote bags are priced at P999, while the pouch bags are at P499. Sales from the tote bags will be donated to the SM Foundation’s youth and education initiatives, furthering the social impact of the campaign.
SM Green Finds is a multi-year campaign with focus on products made from natural, local ingredients to support local communities and empower micro, small and medium enterprises in their green practices.
GK to receive funding
The Citi Foundation announced the recipients of the 2024 Global Innovation Challenge, which aims to support solutions that address homelessness.
Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation is one of the 50 community organizations around the world set to receive a collective $25 million in catalytic funding to address this pressing global issue.
“Since launching the inaugural Global Innovation Challenge in early 2023, we’ve continued to see how community-based solutions are poised to accelerate impact on the ground,” said Brandee McHale, president of the Citi Foundation and Head of Citi Community Investing & Development. “We call this grant support ‘catalytic’ given the multiplier effect it can have on low-income communities. Each community organization will not only directly impact the lives of people in crisis today, but also create models that can be replicated in other communities around the world tomorrow.”
“We are very excited and proud that, once again, a Philippine organization has been granted funding to continue their incredible and impactful work for Filipino communities,” said Paul Favila, Philippines Citi country officer and banking head. “Gawad Kalinga has been a long-standing partner of Citi Philippines and we have seen the work they have done to aid nation-building. In developing communities, they not only build physical homes; they take a holistic and integrated approach to empower sustainable communities, and ultimately, transform lives.”
“Project RISE is an innovative solution addressing homelessness by empowering marginalized communities like those in Arakan, North Cotabato.
Through community engagement, health, literacy, livelihood training, and pathways to homeownership, we help families break free from poverty. The shift from living in homes to owning them represents dignity, stability, and a brighter future. Together, we are building resilient communities where families can rise and create lasting change,” said Luis Oquiñena, chairman of Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation Inc.
PLDT, Smart expand tech-enabled learning strategies
PLDT and its wireless unit Smart Communications Inc. boost learning delivery platforms of elementary schools in Metro Manila and southern Luzon, in support of Brigada Eskwela activities led by Mpower, Meralco’s local retail electricity supplier.
“PLDT and Smart advocate the use of technology to ensure that there will be no learner and teacher left behind. Our Learn Smart Kits feature digital innovations and adaptive learning strategies aimed at improving learner outcomes,” said Stephanie Orlino, AVP and head of Stakeholder Management at PLDT and Smart.
PLDT and Smart, in collaboration with MPower and One Meralco Foundation, turned over five Learn Smart Kits during the Brigada Eskwela at Camarin D Elementary School in Caloocan City.
The PLDT Group will likewise deploy five Learn Smart Kits each in Tangos 1 Elementary School in Navotas, Tanzang Luma Elementary School in Imus, Cavite, and Bubuyan Elementary School in Calamba, Laguna.
The Learn Smart Kit contains educational materials like digital copies of the Central Visayan Institute Foundation Dynamic Learning Program (CVIF DLP) Learning Activity Sheets (LAS), Maging Laging Handa disaster preparedness videos, Smart’s eStorytelling, SEAMEO Innotech’s Digital Citizen e-Book and a Smart Bro Pocket WiFi device to download additional learning resources.
PLDT and Smart’s education programs are aligned with the Department of Education’s key priorities under Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara. The agency’s five-point agenda prioritizes boosting learners’ foundational skills in reading, math and science to improve the Filipino students’ performance in international large-scale assessments, professional development of teachers, employing digital innovations to augment existing teaching strategies, ensuring senior high school graduates are ready for employment, and improving educational infrastructures and resources.
‘Run Your Way’ campaign
Global athletic leader New Balance unveiled the latest installation to its ‘Run Your Way’ campaign to empower the individuality of runners.
The initiative emphasizes that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to running — whether for fitness, fun, or mental well-being; there’s no right way to run, only your way.
With ‘Run Your Way,’ New Balance aims to break down barriers to entry, speaking to beginners who may feel intimidated by the culture of speed or distance, as well as seasoned athletes who find joy in setting their own pace.
New Balance is renowned for its extensive lineup of running shoes catering to runners of all kinds, including New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080v14.
Masterclass on leadership
In the “Age of Hyper-Change,” the ones who will rule are the ones who will lead change.
That is the message of the PLDT Group’s recent Annual Corporate Governance Enhancement Session (ACGES).
“We have seen more changes over the last three years than over the last thirty. And we are going to see more change, more unpredictability, over the next 18 months than in all of our lives,” said David Morey, chairman and CEO of DMG Global, best-selling author and one of America’s leading strategic consultants, in his keynote address for the 18th ACGES.
Morey said in the age of “exponential hyper-change,” the only way to survive is to adopt an “insurgent’s mindset”–one that not only embraces change, but leads change.
Joining Morey in a fireside chat, PLDT hacirman and CEO Manuel V Pangilinan underscored the importance of thinking differently in order to stay ahead. “Taking on an insurgent’s attitude is particularly important right now in the case of PLDT and Smart,” Pangilinan said.
Pangilinan emphasized the importance of growing the ranks of leaders in any organization. “Companies must refresh their cadre of leaders with younger people, because that is their future,” he added.
