Stakeholders Ensure Sustainability of Community Livelihood Program

Partners of GK Sunshineville are ensuring the sustainability of their community's livelihood project making tote bags out of recycled waste materials with the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement among its stakeholders.

The MOA sought to formalize and structure GK Sunshineville's livelihood project into a formal and professional enterprise, allowing its stakeholders to contribute through specific accountabilities in order to maximize resources. The document also clarifies the decision process and level of authority within the business structure.

The MOA was crafted to reflect the spirit of commitment of the stakeholders and how each one of them can contribute to the ultimate goal of helping the GK Sunshineville livelihood enterprise become a sustainable business.

Stakeholders included the Future Leader’s Program representatives (executives in a development program for the organizational talents of Aboitiz, Alaska, Bates 141, HSBC, SGV, and Shell companies), Maraming Bayani Foundation Project Director Chris Bonoan, GKoncepts Head Marivic Pineda and GKonomics Director Pinky Poe.

The occasion was graced by HSBC Philippines chief executive officer Mark Watkinson who spoke about the value of the MOA to formalize the roles and accountabilities of stakeholders in order to move forward with the livelihood community project. He emphasized the value of constituting a Governance Board to steer strategic efforts, and to lay in place the goal of empowering the GK Sunshineville community to run the livelihood enterprise on their own.

"It is clear therefore that notwithstanding all the work that still needs to be done, congratulations are in order on this occasion, and our gathering here today is testament to the material, measurable difference indeed being achieved by everyone present,” he said.

Present during the signing ceremonies were MBF executive director Ma. Aurora Geotina-Garcia, GKonomics president Cecille Manheimer and CFC Sunshineville Community full time worker Pedro Ragojos, Jr. who represented the Gawad Kalinga Sunshineville Community.

Aside from the MOA signing, the Future Leader’s Program participants known as GKids donated a desktop computer and a SMARTBRO pre-paid internet connectivity to GK Sunshineville. This was in keeping with the overall strategy of providing a sustainable business process for the community enterprise through streamlined order taking via email as well as financial control monitoring and reporting.