SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT was the watchword in the celebration of a two-year partnership between the Ateneo, the National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School and Gawad Kalinga (GK), which aims to establish entrepreneurial platforms for the poor.
The media event was held in the Ateneo on June 22.
Singaporean social philanthropic organization Temasek Foundation has been supporting the partnership.
Gracing the event were Temasek Foundation Chief Executive Officer Benedict Cheong, NUS Business School Project Head Lam Swee Sum and GK Chairman Tony Meloto. Ateneo administrators, faculty and program participants were also present.
Ateneo Vice President for Social Development Jaime Hofileña said that the institutions involved nurture the growth of people active in social development.
The collaboration between the mentioned institutions provides curriculum development for local undergraduate students and workshops and trainings for GK members with the aid of Temasek Foundation. The financial and resource support is an in-kind grant approximately amounting to P19.8 million.
Meloto emphasized that the collaboration is a template for solidarity among Filipinos and other Asian countries. He said that it is a platform for “bridging the space between the rich and the poor, the Philippines and Singapore to create a better world.”
The program has helped local entrepreneurs in using their environmental assets. The event showcased Angel Supetran, one of the social entrepreneurs who benefited from the said program.
When his project proposal for the program was approved, he was funded P500,000 by the local government of Iloilo and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources for the acquisition of machinery required for the production of coconut products.
Find out more about this story in The GUIDON’s July issue.
[…] Batannes A. (2012). Sustainable development remains focus of Ateneo, NUS, GK collab. Retrieved from http://www.theguidon.com/2012/06/sustainable-development-remains-focus-of-ateneo-nus-gk-collab/ […]