by Adriel Nisperos
On September 11, PhilDev together with the United Nations Development Programme and the Australian Embassy in the Philippines held an online ceremonial handover of grants to the 21 social enterprises that received support from the Innovative Solutions Grant Facility (ISGF).
A total of USD $215,000 worth of support consisting of grant funding, legal and financial management assistance, and communications support was formally handed over to the social enterprises in support of their COVID-19 innovations and to help them recover financially from the pandemic.
The ceremony was graced by HE Steven Robinson, the Australian Ambassador to the Philippines, Enrico Gaveglia, the Resident Representative of UNDP Philippines, and Eric Tomacruz, the Executive Vice-Chairman of PhilDev.
“The COVID-19 problem has drastically changed people, businesses, and even our day-to-day activities. But we also see an opportunity to innovate, to create solutions, and to provide support primarily to the sectors that have been greatly affected. Borne out of ISIP’s goal to empower social enterprises, the ISGF paves the way for innovations to rise from these social enterprises themselves,” Eric expressed.
The innovations of the social enterprises address various COVID-19 challenges. It demonstrates that the pandemic is more than a health issue, with a number of solutions also addressing the pandemic’s impacts on livelihood, employment, and sustainability. The social enterprises innovated from developing disinfecting products and services, to creating eco-friendly and sustainable personal protective equipment (PPE), to providing livelihood opportunities for their affected communities, and to building digital platforms that will enable access to relevant health data and information.
“We have seen people lose their jobs because of the many businesses shutting down, and we were really afraid for the same impending fate for Cleaning Lady. But the ISGF came at a very perfect time. It was a glimmer of hope and an answered prayer for us.”
– Oskie King, Co-Founder of Cleaning Lady PH
Towards the end of the ceremony. Oskie King and Frances Feliciano, Founders of Cleaning Lady, delivered a gratitude remark on behalf of all the social enterprises that received the grant support. “We have seen people lose their jobs because of the many businesses shutting down, and we were really afraid for the same impending fate for Cleaning Lady. But the ISGF came at a very perfect time. It was a glimmer of hope and an answered prayer for us,” Oskie King, Co-Founder of Cleaning Lady, shared. Cleaning Lady is one of the social enterprises that innovated to ensure that they continue providing a source of income for their partner-employees amid the pandemic.
The grant facility is part of the RISE UP initiative of the Innovation for Social Impact Partnership (ISIP) project of PhilDev, the United Nations Development Programme, and the Australian Embassy in the Philippines. It aims to promote social entrepreneurship as a pathway to rebuilding economies and communities from the immense impacts of the pandemic.