by: Harvey S. Keh

Last year, I taught a Social Entrepreneurship class at the Ateneo de Manila University-Loyola Schools as a lecturer for its Development Studies Program. One of the innovations that its director, Leland Dela Cruz, did was to provide an option for its graduating students to develop and implement a social enterprise instead of doing a regular research thesis project. There were eight social enterprises that were developed as a result of this program.

One of them was Impukan, which was the work of Jaymee Duran. Realizing that the Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, Jaymee worked with the Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan (SLB) to develop a social enterprise that would raise funds and resources even before disasters strike. Through the funds and resources raised via Impukan, the SLB will now be able to respond to disasters quicker and at the same time enable it to also provide psychosocial therapy and support to the victims of these natural calamities.

With the proliferation of the use of plastics and tarpaulins in our society, Maurene Papa and Kat Arandela’s Bill-A-Bag (Billboards transformed into Bags) is a social enterprise that aims to promote recycling as a means of helping save our environment. Bill-A-Bag turns used plastic tarpaulins and transforms them into fashionable bags, coin purses and wallets. By doing so, they not only earn by selling these products but more importantly, they are able to impart a strong message that recycling and the promotion of sustainable development can be a way of life for everyone. To view some of their products, you can visit their website at http://billabag.multiply.com/.

In the field of health, one of the perennial problems of our country has been the inaccessibility of life-saving drugs for majority of our people. This was the problem that Gino Pineda and Miguel Hitosis tried to address through their own social enterprise entitled, Doktor Swabe. Doktor Swabe runs a twice a week radio show over Radyo Veritas 846 that aims to educate and promote to poor Filipino families the use of generic medicines. At the same time, Doktor Swabe would also partner with drug companies who produce generic medicines to help them establish outlets that would sell these generic drugs in depressed communities.

If our national hero, Jose Rizal was still alive today, these young social entrepreneurs would do him proud as they continue to live out Rizal’s famous saying, “Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan”. More on the other young social entrepreneurs who are creating genuine change in our country in the coming weeks.

To know more about the activities and projects of Ateneo de Manila’s Development Studies Program, you can contact (02) 426-6001 local 5218.

Learn more about Social Entrepreneurship by joining the 2nd Beyond Bottomlines: An Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship Seminar organized by the Ateneo de Manila University-School of Government and Ashoka-Youth Venture Philippines. For more information, please send an email to Katrina Wy at youthventureph@gmail.com or you can call (02) 497-7614.

*Harvey S. Keh is Director for Youth Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship at the Ateneo de Manila University-School of Government and is also the Program Manager for Ashoka-Youth Venture here in the Philippines.