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.

—

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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Rags2Riches wanted to start the year strong, and we did so with aesthETHICS – the launch of the RIIR Aranaz Spring/Summer Collection Launch.

Held in Fort Bonifacio High Street – a strategic partner of Rags2Riches – the event was brilliantly conceptualized and executed by another R2R partner, ActivAsia (special mentions to their President Manny de Luna, Direk Pogs Mendoza, Rachel Tan-Tuason, and Chuva Cruz). After sharing with them the spirit of R2R and our vision of launching both the Spring/Summer Collection and Eco-Ethical Style in – pun intended – absolute style, they came back to us with aesthETHICS – an event that fully embodies what we stand for.

And what Rags2Riches is really standing for now is the triumvirate-advocacy of Eco-Ethical Style. It’s the fusion and perfect union of the three elements Eco (environment, upcycling, organic materials), Ethical (fair trade, community-based enterprises), and Style (fashion and beauty).

I can think of no better way to share what this means than through Rags2Riches’ Eco-Ethical Style Manifesto, which we started communicating in our 2nd year Anniversary last November.

Now on to aesthETHICS, which formally started with this opening AVP :

After the introduction, Rags2Riches President (and my, ahem, fiance’ , Reese Fernandez – shares our new vision on Eco-Ethical Style, of embracing empowerment, beauty, and the planet.

To emphasize this new space, we unveiled R2R’s new official video – made possible by the passion and eye of director/producer Manny Angeles, in partnership with Cream Silk. Of course, this also features Rajo Laurel, the design genius and spirit which really set RIIR into motion. Truth to tell, with this video is getting closer and closer to the look and feel of the Rags2Riches’ Designer Line in our heads.

We’ve always said that Rags2Riches is the intersection of Social Cause & Fashion, and this AVP testifies to the latter. Beauty with meaning, indeed :

—

Now, on to the launch of the new RIIR Aranaz Spring Summer Collection, designed by none other than Amina Aranaz-Alunan  :

After the fashion show, Reese, R2r Cooperative Chairperson Cynthia Cabrera, and Becky Aranaz (Amina couldn’t go as she’s currently pregnant), and of course the Nanay Artisans of Payatas go up to stage after the launch reveal of the new collection. This is what we mean when we say that The Back End is the Front End.

After the Spring/Summer Collection reveal, Reese then revealed Rags2Riches’ new partner and Eco-Ethical Style Ambassadress …

… none other than Ms. Chin-Chin Gutierrez, a Filipina woman that is the absolute manifestation of Eco, Ethical, and Style.

—

Whew! What an intensely awesome event aesthETHICS was.

But I guess what made it most meaningful for me wasn’t just the glitz and pomp and glamor of the whole show.

It boiled down to a text that we received from our friend, Jason Tan :

“Hey guys, saw a couple of payatas girls weeping with joy and pride during the show. That’s the ultimate sign of success right there. Congratulations! ”

He totally got what we were launching that night. Because it definitely wasn’t just about our new line of bags. It goes way beyond that.

And if YOU do get it, then we’re more than happy to welcome you into this new world of Eco-Ethical Style.

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In Rags2Riches, we have a term which reflects one of our core philosophies : “The Back End is the Front End”.

You see, ‘The Back End’ is the aspect that customers normally don’t see; They only see the fancy advertising, the glitzy images, the seductive storefront, the alluring posters, the massive billboards.

The customer’s interface with the enterprise, if you really think about it, is really only with marketing and sales. After all, nobody really cares about the Back Office – the people in HR, Accounting, and Legal.

Moreover, the true Back End – Production – is more often than not nameless workers in a nondescript factory. You don’t really give a damn where the product you bought was made and who made them – as a customer, your role in the universe is simply to buy.

But it’s on this point wherein Rags2Riches shares a different paradigm.

Because we do want you to care.

We want you to care who made the products you buy. We want you to give a damn about the artisans who painstakingly crafted the product you so wholeheartedly bought.

slide taken from the Rags2Riches Manifesto

And that’s why our Back End – the Payatas Community – is delicately woven into our Front End. The Nanays are at the spotlight of Rags2Riches – in our events, in our communication, in our collaterals. We proudly wear our advocacy on our sleeves.

But we also deal with this Back End-Front End integration very delicately, especially because its subject to misinterpretation and – shudder to think – exploitation.

We’re cognizant that the community is NOT a marketing tool. That’s a trap that’s just way too easy to fall into. In fact, sometimes it’s downright preadtory and lessens the dignity of the marginalized.

The reason the Rags2Riches Nanays are at the forefront is not a marketing tactic; Its actually our vehicle of spreading the advocacy – that our social business enterprise isn’t in the business of selling bags, it’s in the business of empowerment. On a deeper level, the reason they are at the forefront is because it gives them pride in the work that they do. The R2R Nanays aren’t laborers or workers; They’re artisans.

In fact, they’re artisans AND entrepreneurs. Because when you buy an RIIR Designer Bag, you’re not donating to beneficiaries; you’re purchasing from an empowered community of business owners.

This coming March 24 we are again launching another chapter of Rags2Riches – aesthETHICS : the RIIR Aranaz Spring/Summer Collection Launch, wherein the empowered community artisans have again collaborated with designer Amina Aranaz-Alunan, and proudly share their work. The text of our invitation says it all :

—

We Celebrate Beauty.

The hands that make them.

The advocate that supports them.

And the life that continues because of them.

Join us for One Beautiful Night.

—

One beautiful night, indeed! Message me directly ruizmark@gmail.com if you want to go

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