Welcome to the world of Gawad Kalinga
“Gawad Kalinga” ("to give care" in English) or GK, is a Philippine-based movement that aims to end poverty for five million families come 2024 by first and foremost, restoring their dignity.For GK, poverty can not be simply eliminated by handing dole-outs or applying one-time interventions – programs implemented must be holistic and sustainable if we want to build real, lasting transformation. Instead of “feed and run” (as coined by me), GK builds an environment where the poorest of the poor are given strong values formation and mentoring programs so they learn to work not only with their hands, but also with their hearts and minds.
To do this, GK engages as many willing institutions and inspired individuals as possible to help bring in their own expertise and resources. Large corporations are not treated as enemies and smaller NGOs are not seen as inferior versions. Even the government, which has the unfortunate reputation of being corrupt, can be an effective partner “as long as they are working with someone who is not corrupt” as Tito Tony Meloto, the founder of GK, explains.
The poor then are not considered as objects of charity – they are seen as untapped sources of wealth that can be empowered to become nation-builders
themselves.
Planting the seeds of progress in the Enchanted Farm
When I tell people that I want to be involved with Gawad Kalinga
during my six months Leave of Absence from work, I often hear them say: “Ai, wow,
tutulong ka na gagawa ng bahay?” and “Maraming foreigners doon…(with a wink).”
Aside from the fact that I’m not built for physical labor under
the sun and I did not ask for a time-off to fish for a love life, there’s
actually more to GK beyond its colorful volunteer-built villages.
For GK, providing homes is only the beginning. As part of its overall
strategy, GK is also supporting the rise of social businesses that promote
justice, fairness and inclusive wealth creation.
Located in Angat, Bulacan, the GK Enchanted Farm is Gawad
Kalinga’s platform to raise social entrepreneurs, help our local farmers, and
create wealth in the countryside. It aims to do this by becoming a Farm Village University cum Silicon Valley for
Social Entrepreneurship cum Disneyland for Social Tourism. I'll let the pictures do the explaining (which is a mix of circa 2016 and 2017).
I was a stranger to the Farm until I attended my first Social Business Summit last January 2016, which I registered to even if I didn’t know anyone there. Turns out, there are also attendees who went rogue…errr…solo, including a college student who didn’t tell ma and pa that she joined alone. :P A few months later, I went back for the farm’s monthly Start-up Business Camp, looking for ways on how I can be more involved with the Farm.
 |
| Hyundai Hall |
 |
| Hyundai Lobby |
 |
| Grassroots Kitchen |
 |
| Basketball Court cum Events Place |
 |
| Archangel Hall |
 |
| Lifebank Center for Bayanihan Economics |
 |
 |
| View from the Bamboo Villa |
 |
| From the Bamboo Palace (which I always confuse with the Bamboo Villa) |
 |
| IASIS Boutique Hotel and Spa |
I was a stranger to the Farm until I attended my first Social Business Summit last January 2016, which I registered to even if I didn’t know anyone there. Turns out, there are also attendees who went rogue…errr…solo, including a college student who didn’t tell ma and pa that she joined alone. :P A few months later, I went back for the farm’s monthly Start-up Business Camp, looking for ways on how I can be more involved with the Farm.
During one of the presentations, I came upon CalaBoo, a social enterprise dedicated to crafting minimally-processed dairy products from
carabao milk, and was lucky enough to be “adopted” by its founder, Marie
Cavosora, as one of the volunteers in her “cream team.”
 |
| CalaBoo <3 |
Unearthing golden nuggets of wisdom
Every phase of my GK journey is worthy of an article (CalaBoo alone
deserves a series). For now, I’ll share here are a few of the realizations
and lessons I’ve picked up from the Farm and the wonderful people behind it.
1. Sweat equity is the new currency of progress.
Aside from its extensive network of partners, GK is
thriving due to its strong pool of volunteers, both local and foreign.
It’s modern bayanihan at its finest, as encapsulated in the tenets of GK’s mission:
Padugo, Tataya Ako
I commit to bleed for the
mission.
Una sa Serbisyo, Huli sa Benepisyo
I commit to serve rather than to be
served.
Para sa Diyos at Para sa Bayan
I commit to love God and my country.
Bayanihan
I commit to challenge the
impossible in solidarity with others.
Walang Iwanan
I commit to leave no one behind.
"Padugo, tataya ako" – the first statement alone is flaming with
conviction.
It goes more than donating huge amounts of money; it’s about working
hand-in-hand with the poor to really understand their situation on the ground, so
we can effectively craft solutions that fit their needs.
We are not passive participants observing from a distant pedestal
in an ivory tower, we are called to roll our sleeves and plunge into the thick
of the muck. Tito Tony calls this “the power of presence” which he demonstrates
by visiting the farm every day and by knowing all of the people there. For him "There is absence of love when there is absence of
presence."
In one of his sessions, he also said that educated people are the most
disconnected. We judge the poor as thieves and criminals because we do not
understand poverty. “You cannot end poverty if you lose your human capital.
Loss of dignity translates to a predator mentality.”
As explained by Reese Molina of the social enterprise Rags to Riches “Some people don’t lack
the hard work, they just lack the opportunities.”
Cold cash is not the sole solution, we need warm compassion and inspired action as well.
2. Build it and they will come
Six years ago, the GK Enchanted Farm is a mere piece of grassy,
muddy land. It’s now a sprawling complex housing a number of beautiful
architectures, social enterprises, farming areas, teaching centers, even a GK
village. And like everything GK, most of these were built from the resources of
generous donors, and the talent and sweat of its tireless volunteers.
During the business summit, I was amazed by the number of angel
investors looking for potential businesses they can invest on. These opportunities
just have to be matched with the right people!
And there are many stories of people who have discovered their
purpose because of Gawad Kalinga.
There was Dylan Wilk, once listed as one of UK’s richest man under 30, who came to the Philippines to write a fat check, only to be told by Tito Tony that it’s not his money that GK needs. What was supposed to be a short-term stay became a lifetime passion, and he is now using his business acumen to put local brand Human Nature in the global map, together with two of Tito Tony’s daughters – Anna (whom he is married to...they have a cute love story) and Camille.
There was Fabien
Courteille, a French intern turned founder of social enterprise Plush and Play. Together with his horde of nanays, his goal is to kick out Hello
Kitty from our Philippine shelves and replace them with their adorable
Filipino-made stuffed toys.
There was Xilca Alvarez-Protacio. As a lawyer, she fought for the
rights of her clients to be employed despite their criminal
records. Now a social entrepreneur, she is helping create jobs for them by
establishing businesses like the bestselling Bayani Brew.
They are some of the examples of the “haves” who are doing the
lifting so the “have-nots” of our society will have the fighting chance to not just
survive, but to thrive in a world with equal opportunities.
Have faith. It can be done.
3. You help build the nation when you buy and support local
Marie once told me that we often talk about big solutions to fighting poverty, but in fact, we can start by making those little changes to stop
contributing to it. One of these is by choosing to buy local, especially from
small business and those dedicated to giving back to the community.
Filipino brand Human Nature is changing the beauty industry not only with their world-class products but also with their human-centered business model. As part of their Pro-Philippines, Pro-Poor, Pro-environment mantra, they not only pay their workers above minimum wages, they also pay the same rate for their provincial workers, as one of their means to mitigate the exodus of people to the urban areas.
Did you know that 99% of our dairy supplies are imported, with most of the profits pocketed by multinationals, while many of our smallholder farmers live below the poverty line? CalaBoo is poising itself to become the Human Nature of the Philippine Dairy Industry and to transform lives with
carabao milk by leveraging public-private partnerships throughout the entire
value chain and ensuring that every link is optimized to enrich the lives of
all stakeholders, especially impoverished farmers.
Tito Tony once said that BPO revenues and OFW remittances, two of
the top reasons for our country’s booming economy, are not sustainable
because they depend on other countries. Thus, it very important that we
strengthen and support local businesses.
Vote with your peso. Buy local.
4. Discovering the genius of the poor is revealing the gem in every Filipino.
Filipinos are world-class, except in their own country. But excellence is ingrained in our DNA as Filipinos – we just have to polish all the dirt accumulated from years of colonial rule and bad governance for it to
shine through.
Dylan (ironically a foreigner) explains this well in this TedX talk:
We love to compare ourselves with other countries, forgetting to
appreciate what is innately beautiful in us Filipinos – our sense of humor, our
faith, our hospitality, our resilience. We live in a country that is rich and teeming
with wildlife and natural resources. We are the pearl of the Orient; let's not throw away our jewel of a heritage to be a second-class copy of other "more superior and sophisticated" countries when we can be a first-class version of an exceptional nation that haven't lost its heart.
To quote the GK Enchanted Farm's Manifesto: "God did not make a mistake in creating me Filipino."
And this Mother Hen agrees...
And this Mother Hen agrees...
 |
| One last pic and lots of love from the Farm |
P.S. Aside from your money, why not give your time (and heart) too? For updates on how you can be involved, head on over to the Gawad Kalinga website and subscribe to their newsletter (it's where I've learned about the 2016 Social Business Summit that kicked off my journey to the Farm) and check the Gawad Kalinga and GK Enchanted Farm Facebook pages (personally, I've marked them on my "See First" list for the regular dose of good vibes).