Finishing the Year Strong with Partnerships and Purpose
Dear Partners and Colleagues,
As the year draws to a close, we, at FSSI, have a lot to be thankful for.
First, we are pleased to announce our partnership with social enterprise Plantsville Health Products, a women-led social enterprise dedicated to conservation, livelihood, health, and climate change. Plantsville is working to protect and promote the endangered Philippine cinnamon tree, which plays a vital role in carbon absorption and climate change mitigation. FSSI is committed to supporting Plantsville Health in these efforts, helping it achieve its goals and broaden its impact.
FSSI has also been actively engaged in various initiatives over the past months. In October, FSSI supported the 4th Global Agribusiness Management and Entrepreneurship (GAME) Conference which brought together government, industry, and academic leaders in Pasay City. In the same month, we participated in a learning visit under the Rural Urban Market Link PH (RUML) project as it continues its goal to connect rural farmers with urban markets in Metro Manila. During a visit to Barangay Bagbag, Novaliches, Quezon City, FSSI and other project partners gained valuable insights into the needs of urban communities and explored ways to strengthen partnerships.
The following month we joined the Green Tank: Climate Innovation Challenge in Taguig City, part of the 2024 Philippine Startup Week. The event highlighted the potential of climate finance in driving sustainable solutions to climate change.
We also participated in the 2024 Philippine Social Enterprise Roadmap Conference, held to provide a platform to review progress and discuss strategies for advancing Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) initiatives in the Philippines. The event also showcased the collaborative efforts of stakeholders in building a stronger social enterprise ecosystem in the Philippines and the ASEAN.
Finally, we joined Samdhana Institute, Peace and Equity Foundation, Forest Foundation Philippines, Foundation for the Philippine Environment and The Asia Foundation in the Women Accessing Support for indigenous and rural Communities and the ENvironment towards Development (WOMEN ASCEND) Forum held in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato. The forum aimed to meet the women where they are, listen and try to appreciate their context and situation and their poverty and exclusion and dialogue among the participants to identify and new way of working to include and provide access to women and indigenous communities.
More importantly, in this last quarter of the year, after months of study, discussion and workshops, we were able to firm up our new strategic plan for 2025 through 2029. FSSI continues to thread its path going into our 30th year as a leading resource institution for social enterprises in the Philippines. For the next five years, we commit to focus on agri-enterprises and women owned and led social enterprises. We are excited to finalize this plan and continue to work with you towards supporting Filipino enterprises advancing the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profit.
In the meantime, as we prepare for the coming year, we invite you to share your insights and feedback as we continue to enhance our knowledge management and communications support. Please do participate in our Knowledge Management, Advocacy, and Communications (KMAC) survey, as your inputs will guide us in improving the way we communicate to our valued stakeholders.
Thank you for your continued commitment to our shared mission. Together, let us finish the year strong, guided by impactful partnerships and a shared purpose to drive sustainable and inclusive development for communities and the environment.
