THE BAG THAT BREATHES LIFE
by Reese Fernandez

Rags2Riches has recently launched the RIIR by Rajo Laurel Tree Bag Project. It is a project that has been inspiring our team for the past few months now (when we were still preparing it).

The RIIR by Rajo Laurel Tree Bag is an exquisite, limited edition everyday bag created by 3 communities from different parts of the country. It is created using scrap cloth (for the handle), scrap thread (for the body of the bag), and scrap wood (for the buttons). What makes it even more exciting is that we will be planting ONE TREE FOR EVERY BAG SOLD! We love how all of these causes came together into one amazing product designed by one of the Philippines’ premier fashion designers, Mr. Rajo Laurel (www.rajolaurel.com)!

This was our event’s invitation card. =)

photo credit : Ed San Juan

Yes, the bags are beautiful and very functional. =) But what makes it even more beautiful are the hands that made them. It is my honor to introduce them.

The Weavers of Bangued, Abra.

The Women of Payatas, Rags2Riches Cooperative

We don’t have photos of the wood carvers of Pardo Cebu yet but as soon as I get them, I’ll acknowledge them in this blog. =)

Special thanks to my new found good friend Anya Lim, a wonderful lady who heads a social enterprise in Cebu called Ant Hill. You can visit her site here: anthillfabricgallery.multiply.com.

Of course, the launch and the product would not be possible without the talents and passion of my team. Thank you Matt Pardinas (sales and marketing manager), Michelle Smith (sales and marketing associate), Nelson Baclayo (Production Director), Jing Ludovice (Community Relations Officer), Miguel Abrera (Community Relations and Communications Officer), Helen Guerrero (Finance and HR Officer) Cynthia Cabrera (Community Expansion Supervisor, Payatas Cooperative Member), Jhane Abris (Production Supervisor), Fencia Fonte (Off-Site Production Supervisor, Payatas cooperative member), Nhing Estabillo (Production Coordinator, Payatas cooperative member), Kuya Yam, Kuya Marco, and all the communities who participated!

For orders and inquiries, you may email r2r_matt@yahoo.com. =)

We’ll be coming up with an amazing campaign soon!

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Last December 2009, I attended INSEAD’s Social Entrepreneurship Programme in Singapore.

As part of ISEP’s ongoing efforts to create a vibrant community as well as advance the field, they are organizing their 4th Conference, aptly entitled ‘Social Entrepreneurship for Social Change’ in Istanbul, Turkey this coming June 4.

Hans Wahl, Senior Associate Director has extended an invitation to join – as well as participate on the Leadership Roundtable (which will be held adjacently to the conference) -  and as such I will be excitedly attending

You might want to join too! Check out the official conference website for more details.

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“SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP FOR SOCIAL CHANGE” Conference

Today, social issues are being tackled through socially innovative approaches instead of traditional philanthropic methods.

Social entrepreneurship entails a comprehensive approach, which is both innovative and realistic, dealing with the core of social issues and trying to change conditions that create them; contrary to temporary solutions provided by philanthropic endeavors.

INSEAD Social Enterpreneurship Program (ISEP) is organizing an international social entrepreneurship conference and alumni meeting every year since its establishment in 2006. The 2010 Social Entrepreneurship Conference that will take place in Istanbul is ISEP’s 4th conference.

These international conferences are organized by ISEP and local partners. This year’s organization is a partnership between ISEP, three ISEP Alumni from Turkey, and Sabancı University (the details of organizing institutions and committee members are under the heading of “About Us” in the web).

The Social Entrepreneurship Conference includes interactive panel discussions and keynote speeches on major opportunities and challenges faced by social entrepreneurs around the world.

Inspiring speakers with compelling stories will definitely impress the attendees!

As the organizing committee, we believe that this conference is a great instrument to publicize the importance of Social Entrepreneurship in Turkey, discover new ways to tackle social problems and bring innovative models into light.

Thus, we INVITE you to join this remarkable event in the 4th of June 2010 that is the first international conference on “Social Entrepreneurship” in Turkey.

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The Videos from the 1st TEDx Manila are now online!

Posting my video from my talk on the Social Business Revolution Congratulations to TED fellow Rom Feria and team!

Unfortunately I had problems with the microphone so audio’s not ideal;

Sharing my presentation via slideshare as well below. I’ll find time to make a slidecast to make it more comprehensible :

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Beyond the usual Competency 101 Profiles – visionary, entrepreneurial, business-minded, collaborative, empathic, empowering – I’ve reflected on (3) less popular characteristics that I wanted to highlight. I picked these (3) values as I consider them ‘currency’ in making one more effective, especially in working with people.

For me, these (3) are : Integrity, Sincerity, and the Ability to Execute – values that I continue to aspire for, and hope to one day realize.

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1. Integrity

Integrity is the default absolute must-have. After all, it is the cornerstone of being a social entrepreneur.

For me, the seed of integrity starts with the fact that you’re doing this for the right reasons; You have to be fueled by the right intentions.

It shouldn’t be about the money (although self-sustainability is undeniably important), your ego, or the warm fuzzy feeling one gets from “doing good”. My personal opinion is that you should be passionate about solving social problems, and obsessed about living a life of service.

Furthermore, integrity is about uncompromisingly doing the right thing. This can take the form of having core principles that you will adhere to, even when the going gets tough. In Hapinoy, for example, whenever we are faced with difficult decisions, we simplify it to one simple question : “What’s Good For Nanay (the Hapinoy Store Owner)?”. This ultimately sways the decision that we take.

When people know that you have integrity, they will trust you, collaborate with you, support you, do business with you. So you really have to guard this with your life. And the secret is simple : just live a life of integrity (I absolutely know that this is easier said that done!).

There are no techniques to gain integrity and build reputation, one must simply try as hard as s/he can to stay true to it. The easiest way to not have any skeletons in your closet that will explode in your face – is to not have any skeletons in the first place.

2. Sincerity

As a social entrepreneur, you’ll most likely be working with marginalized sectors/communities, tackling a palpable social problem – whether this be on livelihood, healthcare, education, poverty, inequality, access to energy, etcetera.

Now, take note that the people you will be serving and/or partnering with could have already been “betrayed” by over-promising politicians, or “let down” by good-intentioned, yet unsustainable organizations who came and then went away. In any case, earning the community’s trust – that you are here for the long-haul – is an important first step, and the smell of sincerity is a key that opens up communication and dialogue. (And trust me when I say that without the community’s trust, you will not be able to accomplish anything.)

Trust is not something easily given, and as such it must and will be earned through time. In Rags2Riches, it took over a year for things to really mature such that the Cooperative formation became a welcome development and shared goal. And although the program became more robust, I’d like to believe that it is the Community’s belief in the sincerity and integrity of the R2R team that made this social enterprise truly work.

3. Ability to Execute

Most Social Enterprises – especially if they are veritable game-changers – will start as a vision of what could be, and not what is. Now, while this is certainly inspiring, it also lends itself to the term, “Drawing lang ‘yan” – which means to say that it is still only a concept drawing on paper. In other words, it’s a skeptic’s perspective – it hasn’t happened until it has happened. In fact, you can be the most kind-hearted person in the world, but until you fulfill the vision you’re painting  – even gradually – you will be less effective in the eyes of your partners.

A former boss of mine taught me a valuable lesson : the best argument against your critics will always be results. After all, results will always speak for themselves. This holds true as well for social entrepreneurship.

The Ability to Execute and make the vision gradually real is sacrosanct. It not only fuels credibility, but it also spurs a bandwagon effect that increases momentum and growth.

In my view, Hapinoy still has a long way to go in realizing the true potential of the program, especially as we see it in our heads. But we continue to execute, iterate, execute, iterate – and gradually build on the unfolding results. It’s admittedly a continuing uphill battle, but one that we’re absolutely committed to getting to eventually.

—

The reason I call the above (3) as ‘currency’ is this – a large chunk of a social entrepreneur’s time is invested in working with people.

And one particular nuance in a social entrep’s lifestyle – is that we do not strictly transact as other people do. For example, a normal business would be focused on finding suppliers and workers, pay them to do a job – and on the other side, sell to a customer, and gain cash from the exchange. In this model, money is the main currency.

The social entrepreneur, on the other hand, will also transact with money, yes – but will go and build deeper relationships. And at this level, it’s really intangible currency that can spell the difference.

In Hapinoy, we don’t hire and pay microentrepreneurs as labor; We work with them in order to co-build their business; In Rags2Riches, we don’t just sell bags, we sell the broader advocacy of eco-ethical style.

Money definitely speaks – but in social entrepreneurship, so do Integrity, Sincerity, and Execution.

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While this is most certainly an award for my fiance’ (!) , it’s also a glowing testament of the work that Rags2Riches is doing. In fact, as Reese is the first to always mention – this award truly belongs to Rags2Riches, our Communities, our Nanays, our Partners, our Designers, our C0-Advocates, and of course – our country, the Philippines

With the award, Reese and Rags2Riches will be putting up RISE – the Rags2Riches Innovation and Social Enterprise Center (although other auxiliary names are being explored for it :p) which will be the livelab that will further scale our work in Eco-Ethical Style.

More details of this endeavor in the months to come – but suffice to say that 2010 continues to be an exciting year for this Social Business Enterprise.

Congratulations, Reese!!! We’re all very proud of you

ROLEX ANNOUNCES FIRST WINNERS OF YOUNG LAUREATE AWARDS

Five Pioneers Poised to Change the World

Geneva, 15 April 2010 – Five visionaries aged under 30 from Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, the Philippines and the United States have been selected as the Young Laureates in the inaugural Rolex Awards for Enterprise: Young Laureates Programme, Rolex announced today at a press conference in Geneva.

Chosen from a pool of nearly 200 candidates worldwide by an international jury of experts, these outstanding social entrepreneurs impressed the judging panel with their passion and conviction to overcome challenges in the areas of science and health, applied technology, exploration, the environment and cultural preservation.

The Rolex Young Laureates are:

Jacob COLKER, 26, United States – is changing the way people get involved in community service. His internet-based programme allows volunteers to use their smartphones to donate spare

minutes to charitable and scientific organizations.

Reese FERNANDEZ, 25, Philippines – is committed to alleviating poverty by training people to become social entrepreneurs. Her Rags2Riches enterprise has already empowered hundreds of women to earn a living by turning scrap materials into elegant fashion accessories.

Nnaemeka IKEGWUONU, 27, Nigeria – intends to boost the living standards of millions of Nigerian farmers through his interactive, mobile radio network. Hundreds of thousands of rural listeners are already receiving and exchanging information on sustainable farming practices and health issues.

Piyush TEWARI, 29, India – has set up a foundation to train a network of police officers and volunteers to respond quickly to road accidents and administer rapid medical care. By providing immediate assistance to victims, he hopes to stem the thousands of fatalities that occur on Indian roads each year.

Bruktawit TIGABU, 28, Ethiopia – is building on the success of a television programme on health that she and her husband are producing for preschool children and their parents.

—

“Rolex is delighted to support these exceptional young men and women who represent the best of their generation,” said Rebecca Irvin, director of philanthropy at Rolex. “In tackling the problems that face humanity, they do not think in traditional ways or stick to old ideas. Their innovative projects have begun to have a profound effect on their own communities, and potentially could improve the lives of millions of people.”

An expansion of the long-standing Rolex Awards for Enterprise, the Young Laureates Programme honours men and women between the ages of 18 and 30 with inventive ideas. Each Young

Laureate will receive US$50,000 over the course of two years. During the first year, funding of

$25,000 each will give the recipients time to focus on their pioneering projects, while the second instalment will help them move forward in implementing them. The Rolex Awards international network of innovators, comprised mainly of former Laureates, is available for guidance and to help the winners take the projects to another stage.

“In this sound-bite world of ours, Rolex is giving a message to these motivated young people to take time to think things through and do their projects right,” said American ecologist Margaret

D. Lowman, one of the 10 jury members who chose the winners. “The younger generation really gets it when it comes to the planet and how the machinery of the earth works. We only need to empower them to act and Rolex is doing this by providing the gift of time.”

Another jury member, Singaporean explorer Khoo Swee Chiow, agreed: “Rolex is giving the Young Laureates time to mature. I think preparation is important. That is why, I guess, it took me

ten years before I finally climbed Everest.”

On 11 November 2010, Rolex will mark the accomplishments of the Young Laureates at an event at the recently launched Rolex Learning Center, a hub for educational exchange, at a highly respected Swiss university, the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). Experts from

related fields, including some former Laureates, will join the celebration.

For further information, visit: young.rolexawards.com, or contact:

Mary O’ Mahony
Head of the Rolex Awards Young Laureates Programme
The Rolex Awards for Enterprise, P.O. Box 1311, 1211 Geneva 26 Switzerland
Tel. +41 22 302 2179, Fax +41 22 302 2585

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PinoyME Foundation – the Pinoy MicroEnterprise initiative founded by former President Corazon Aquino – just held a stakeholder’s conference on the theme ‘MAINSTREAMING MICRO’.

The invitation from Dan Songco, President and CEO of PinoyME, read :

“While microfinance and microenterprise development continues to evolve, the microentrepreneurship sector is faced with growing opportunities and pressing issues that must be addressed in order to fulfill microentrepreneurship’s promise in helping the poor move out of poverty.

The Philippine Microentrepreneurship Stakeholders Conference aims to assess the current situation and discuss a proposed policy agenda derived from an extensive survey of literature and roundtable discussions of policy experts and institutions. The conference aims to gather a broad constituency behind this proposed agenda in the hope of promoting collaboration among the different stakeholders in the sector and put microentrepreneurship in the mainstream of Philippine social and economic concerns.”

This theme of transitioning microentrepreneurs from micro to SME is at the core of the work we do in Hapinoy, and as such I decided to attend. The conference was well-represented with more than 100+ attendees from stakeholders in academe, donor/funding agencies, development organizations, corporate foundations, microfinance institutions, social enterprises, commercial banks, and government institutions. There were even quite a few familiar faces whom I last saw in the Eradicating Poverty Conference held last November in Cebu.

—

Program Schedule of the Mainstreaming Micro Conference

—

The crux of the conference was a proposed Policy Agenda on the state of the microfinancing industry – as well as policy implications on it scaling across the country. It was authored by core members of the PinoyME research consortium, which is strengthening its knowledge base and research on the sector.

The Policy Framework has four major components : Progress (increasing market opportunities for microentrepreneurs), Impact (increasing MFIs’ impact on reducing poverty), Access (increasing access of poor people to financial services), and Outreach (increasing outreach of microfinance to rural, hard to reach areas).

These (4) major areas were processed in groups through consultative workshops and dialogue.

I myself joined Workshop #4 on Progress, wherein we tackled the question “How can we enable microfinance clients to graduate into small enterprises?”. The group was moderated by Mr. Jerry Pacturan, Executive Director of PDAP (Philippine Development Assistance Program) with discussants Lanny Nanagas, Chit Juan, Jerry Clavecillas, and Vic Roaring.

There were some common threads that lined our group’s discussion.

One thread was the reality that not all microentrepreneurs want to transition into small entrepreneurs. This is something we’ve certainly experienced in Hapinoy and as such, we have (2) levels — 1. Hapinoy Community Stores that act as the depot/distributor/leader to 2. the smaller Hapinoy Stores. Typically, our CS owners are those that have more drive, ambition, and vision both for themselves and their businesses. They also provide role modeling and a provide leverage in multiplying our impact.

Another thread was the model of development itself — should we be focusing on providing microfinancing/microentrepreneurship, or is it better to put energy behind SME’s and job creation? I personally think that it should be a balance of both. Job creation would be the relatively easier path; but it is microenterprise development that could provide fertile ground for those diamonds in the rough that will eventually become small-to-medium-sized businesses. Also, microfinancing provides the larger outreach that SME’s might not be able to scale towards.

Another discussion thread was the role of Microfinancing Institutions vis-a-vis Business Development Services. Should MFI’s be doing both? Or should they be entirely separate institutions? Our experience with our MFI partner CARD is that they are able to straddle both, although we at MicroVentures are also fulfilling additional BDS services for them.

The last thread – and the main point that i was really driving at – is creating an environment that cultivates and supports microenterprises. On this point, my main belief is that we need infrastructure and institutions that are microenterprise-friendly, as the current environment is decidedly not so. We need better policies for taxation on microenterprises as they integrate into the formal economy; We also need physical infrastructure – whether it be access to roads, energy, and market linkages. While access to financing has been cracked by the MFI’s, it is this whole other slew of needs that also have to be addressed if we do indeed hope to mainstream the micro.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to finish the conference but I’m most certain that the conference went well. More details on PinoyME’s website.

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