TEDxManila was held last December 5 in the UP College of Law. True to TED’s mission of sharing ideas worth spreading, TEDxManila included speakers like Prof. Antonio Oposa on CPR Economics, Iliac Diaz of MyShelter Foundation on sustainable solutions for building weather-proof classrooms and clinics, and Melizza Tan on eSkwela.
One of the presenters was Social Business Entrepreneur Mark Ruiz, the managing director of Hapinoy (Microventures). Hapinoy started as a microfinance program, providing small unsecured loans (Php3,000-Php5,000) to be used as start-up capital to sari-sari store owners. Soon it evolved to be an entrepreneur enhancement program, whereby it groups together sari-sari store owners for bigger bargaining power in their supply and financing needs; more efficient provision of marketing, and training support; and for the sari-sari store owners (in Hapinoy lingo, the nanays), empowerment.
Recognizing the significant contributions of the sari-sari store in the retail industry of the nation, the efforts of Hapinoy are mainly concentrated on helping the nanays. It is the heart of their operations and most efforts are focused on giving them the necessary services, training, and know-how to operate their own micro-business. They even assist their nanays in store branding and other basics in marketing and operations management. And if the store is big enough, they teach the nanay to use simple softwares to keep track of their inventory and transactions. Most importantly, the entire program of Hapinoy empowers the nanays. With the help of Hapinoy, they are no longer just borrowers; they are businesswomen.
One of the presenters was Social Business Entrepreneur Mark Ruiz, the managing director of Hapinoy (Microventures). Hapinoy started as a microfinance program, providing small unsecured loans (Php3,000-Php5,000) to be used as start-up capital to sari-sari store owners. Soon it evolved to be an entrepreneur enhancement program, whereby it groups together sari-sari store owners for bigger bargaining power in their supply and financing needs; more efficient provision of marketing, and training support; and for the sari-sari store owners (in Hapinoy lingo, the nanays), empowerment.
Recognizing the significant contributions of the sari-sari store in the retail industry of the nation, the efforts of Hapinoy are mainly concentrated on helping the nanays. It is the heart of their operations and most efforts are focused on giving them the necessary services, training, and know-how to operate their own micro-business. They even assist their nanays in store branding and other basics in marketing and operations management. And if the store is big enough, they teach the nanay to use simple softwares to keep track of their inventory and transactions. Most importantly, the entire program of Hapinoy empowers the nanays. With the help of Hapinoy, they are no longer just borrowers; they are businesswomen.
The Hapinoy shows that information and technology need not be used only in the larger scale. Even sari-sari stores may take advantage of whatever advancement may be developed in ICT, with the proper networking and support. The people behind Hapinoy show that business and social development can indeed go together.
To know more about Hapinoy, visit their website at http://www.hapinoy.com/
To know about TEDxManila, visit http://www.tedxmanila.com/
Picture courtesy of Hapinoy.com
No comments:
Post a Comment