Category Archives: Social Enterprise Stories

May Pag-asa sa Cassava: Fatima Multi-Purpose Cooperative, a women-owned and -led social enterprise

Maria Teresa Geniston, fondly called “Tess”, was a medical sales representative in 1996 when she was invited to join a newly formed cooperative in the town of Calubian in Leyte. At the time, she was not even familiar with how a cooperative operates. However, she believed in its mission to uplift the lives of those […]

KPS-Small Enterprise and Economic Development (KPS-SEED) Microfinance: Nurturing the seeds of change through microfinance

The Katotohanan, Pagkakaisa, at Serbisyo Foundation, Inc. (KPS Foundation) is a member organization within the family of urban poor establishments based in General Santos City formed after the EDSA People Power Revolution in 1986. “The perspective was really truth, unity, and service. ‘Yung triumvirate na ‘yan, is actually a solution to poverty for us. Nagsimula […]

Greentropics and the Blaans of Mt. Matutum

The experience of Greentropics and the Blaans of Matutum is living proof that the Planet bottom line can never be separated from the People and Profit bottom lines.

PRIME INNOV8 Manufacturing Co. : A woman-led triple bottom line social enterprise

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, PRIME Innov8 Manufacturing Co. was among the enterprises that responded to the high demand of alcohol and other disinfecting and cleaning chemicals.

HOPE in Microfinance

In 2016, taking hold of their resources and expertise, long-time microfinance employees ventured into an enterprise with the hope of enriching the lives of others through providing financial services and entrepreneurship development. Tired of living away from their families, colleagues Enrique “Ric” Maca, Orbil Driz, and Kirk Candelon banked on their background in microfinance and […]

Coops4Food: Facilitating Market Access During COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant stresses and disruption in the local food supply chain. At the height of the crisis, bottlenecks in transport and logistics disrupted the movement of products. There was shortage in supplies in major consumer areas and a surplus in producing communities. Farmer cooperatives in Mindanao were experiencing difficulties selling their produce, […]

Inside the Cup: Crisis, Sustainability, and Philippine Coffee

There seems to be no clear end in sight yet to the coronavirus pandemic. The government has put a name on the “new normal”— the general community quarantine (GCQ) involves more relaxed measures compared to the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) that is still in place in Metro Manila and other high-risk areas. Businesses now have to adapt to the long-haul reality that COVID-19 brought upon us.     Fortunately for […]

Helping Farmers Feed Families During COVID-19

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted to an unexpected slump in the Philippine economy. The latest report from the National Economic and Development Authority estimates that the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth will likely be at 4.3 at best and negative 0.6 percent at worst, assuming the impact of the crisis is […]

Hope After Leprosy: The Story of Bagong Pag-Asa Credit Cooperative

It was the early 16th century when Hansen’s disease, also known as leprosy, haunted the Philippine archipelago. People inflicted with leprosy were taken away from their families and isolated in far-flung communities. When medical treatments for leprosy were not yet discovered, patients had to endure unbearable pain from drug trials by physicians. Decades have passed […]