The Aboitiz Foundation, Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU), and Connected Women signed a partnership agreement Thursday to bring digital skills training to vulnerable women in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
The Memorandum of Understanding, signed at the Aboitiz Tech Space in AIM Makati, launches the Elevate AIDA (Artificial Intelligence Data Annotation) Program targeting 300,000 under-skilled women nationwide over three years, with priority on conflict-affected and marginalized communities.
The program will train participants in AI data annotation, opening access to remote work, freelancing, and digital entrepreneurship opportunities.
“Elevate AIDA equips underprivileged and vulnerable women with the digital skills needed in today’s workplace,” said Ginggay Hontiveros-Malvar, Aboitiz Foundation President. “But more than that, it gives them the confidence to believe: ‘Kaya ko rin. May lugar ako sa makabagong mundo.'”
OPAPRU Secretary Carlito G. Galvez Jr. linked the initiative to peacebuilding efforts. “The Elevate AIDA Project is anchored on the principle that sustainable peace can be achieved when residents in marginalized communities are equipped with the tools needed to achieve economic self-sufficiency and empowerment,” he said. “As the saying goes: ‘Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. But teach a man to fish, or in today’s case, teach a woman to fish rather, and you feed her for a lifetime.'”
Program beneficiary Nima Duma from Isabela City, Basilan, described the training as life-changing. “Dito sa CW hindi lang trabaho ang nahanap ko, nakahanap din ako ng bagong pamilya,” she said. “Ang mga karanasan at bagong pag-aaral tungkol sa AI na dito ko natutunan sa CW Elevate AIDA ay lalo ko pang palalawakin at papagalagahan.”
The signing ceremony included Connected Women executives Ruth Yu-Owen, Gina Romero, and Agnes Gervacio; OPAPRU Executive Director Susana Guadalupe Marcaida; Philippine Commission on Women Chairperson Ermelita Valdeavilla; and UN Women Philippines Programme Specialist Catherine Rose Torres.
The partnership aims to create economic opportunities for women in BARMM while supporting peace and development in the region.
