Shell-gk partnership promotes sustainable development

When Jill Jose, an accounts payable associate of the Shell Shared Services in Manila, first volunteered to help in one of Gawad Kalinga’s house building projects, she thought it would just be a way for her to get to meet people and make new friends. She was pleasantly surprised when she later realized that what she stood to gain was something much more than that. “When I saw the keys to the house being turned over to the beneficiaries,” she relates, “I could not describe the joy I felt for them.” She has since become a “suki” GK volunteer.

“Since 2005, Shell has believed in the power of the Gawad Kalinga Movement to transform lives,” says Shell sustainable development manager, Chito Maniago. “More than building houses, the partnership has built and uplifted communities where members are given a deeper sense of hope and transformation. The change aimed for each community is holistic; the Pinoy values of hard work, resiliency, respect for neighbor and love for God are further instilled into each member of the family.”

Shell has also successfully built another GK community in Ambulong, Batangas, as well as in Libas and Hinonganan, Leyte , as a response to the disaster that hit that province in early 2000. “Realizing the need to sustain these communities, Shell has likewise partnered with Gawad Kalinga to pioneer the Shell-GK Farms,” Maniago remarks. “Ten farms geared towards sustaining the food requirements of the GK Villages in Bicol will be completed by next year. Five farms are almost up and running by fourth quarter of this year, and five more will be added next year, including a farming institute to train farmers on sustainable farming practices. The Pilipinas Shell Foundation works closely with Gawad Kalinga on this project, and even transfers to GK community leaders various farming technologies and techniques for better crop production and harvest.”

Shell is likewise pioneering this year the Green Kalinga Program of GK, which is spearheaded by former Environment Secretary Elisea “Bebet” Gozun. “The program aims to transform each community into ‘green’ model communities where members are aware of the environmental impact of their activities, and practice various green community initiatives on a day to day basis,” Kevin Goco, program manager of Gawad Kalinga, explains. According to Maniago, Shell is supporting this program as it is perfectly aligned with the sustainable development thrusts of Shell in promoting and implementing various sustainable environmental practices to truly protect the environment. “More than corporate social responsibility, we are concerned with sustainable development, which means helping meet our growing energy needs in economically, environmentally and socially responsible ways,” Maniago says.