Globe, Micro Ventures help CCT beneficiaries via 'Hapinoy'

MANILA, Philippines - Globe Telecom and Micro Ventures Foundation Inc. (MVFI) have joined hands to provide sustainable livelihood opportunities for marginalized families who will be ending their five-year stint under the government’s Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) program.

“This is an initiative under the i-Prosper pillar of Globe Bridging Communities where we work with social enterprises and micro-entrepreneurs to establish sustainable forms of livelihood for bottom of the pyramid sectors nationwide,” said Rob Nazal, Globe’s corporate social responsibility head.

“For this undertaking, we want to ensure that the transition of the CCT beneficiaries into productive members of society is actualized by introducing them to socially responsible income-generating opportunities,” Nazal added.

TJ Agulto, MVFI head for partnerships, training and community, said, “The MVFI and Globe share the common aspiration of contributing to poverty alleviation through the empowerment of the entrepreneurial poor to improve their quality of life. So we have initiated and developed the ‘Kayang-Kaya Kumita sa Hapinoy’ with the objectives of helping micro-enterprises across the country have a sustainable business, increase their self-esteem and attain for them a higher level of happiness.”

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), which is tasked with implementing CCT through the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, provides five-year conditional cash grants to extremely impoverished households to improve the health, nutrition, and education particularly of children.

However, Globe and MVFI would like to ensure that the beneficiaries would be equipped with the necessary skills to help them move from mere survival to self-reliance once the cash support stops.

Thus, Globe and MVFI have entered into a partnership aimed at providing leadership and business skills training to CCT beneficiaries via a 10-day capacity-building program that would help them set up and operate sari-sari stores via Hapinoy. 

Hapinoy, which is being managed by MVFI, is a powerful tool to empower socially and economically challenged families in the country. The MVFI provides direct product access to wholesale markets to make small neighborhood convenience stores profitable and sustainable. The DSWD will act as the implementing party.

Aside from financial assistance, Globe currently provides MVFI and CCT beneficiaries with ICT-enabling mechanisms such as TxtConnect and Globe BridgeCom SIM cards with BPI Globe BanKO support as well as development of load retailing network.