P&G project rehabilitates 3,000 Tacloban sari-sari stores

MANILA, Philippines - Procter & Gamble (P&G), a leader in the fast-moving consumer goods industry, recently commemorated the first year of Typhoon Yolanda and celebrated the stories of its survivors, through the “Hope Stories” documentary.

Aside from donating P75 million worth of products to provide immediate and mid-term hygienic relief for survivors, evacuees and families displaced for months, P&G also embarked on Project Hope earmarking P100 million in cash and products to help revive and sustainably rebuilding livelihood in the Visayas.

Together with its distributor partner Dranix East, P&G was the first on the scene to put sari-sari stores back up, and the first FMCG company to start serving the ravaged areas. It built and delivered Hope Stores, the Tide-orange kiosks spotted all over town by the roadsides, amid tent cities, and in the most remote locations. 

The Hope Stores are fully stocked with the best-selling P&G products so the owners also have starting capital. From there, they begin anew with dignity and start providing for their families. 

In the first wave of efforts, P&G &Dranix were able to recover and rehabilitate 38 public markets and over 1,600 stores, with a commitment to deliver about 3,000 stores in total. 

Currently, P&G Project Hope continues its commitment to rebuild livelihood through its partnership with USAID, Rebuild and Coca-Cola. As USAID rebuilds homes for families, they provide sari-sari stores as part of the structure. Together, P&G and Coca-Cola then fully stock the stores with their best-selling products as starting capital for the storeowners. The partners aim to turn over 500 stores in phases over 2 years to families in Tacloban, Tanauan and Palo.

P&G Philippines Communications head Anna Legarda-Locsin said, “Sari-sari stores are part of P&G’s core expertise and history in the Philippines. This is one of the easiest and most meaningful ways we can help the most people in the fastest time. Sari-sari stores mean livelihood and progress in the community and are the center of their collective stories.  We are so proud to see our Project Hope Stores represent this in their lives and communities. They enable hope in the survivors and it is heart-warming to hear their many stories afterwards.”

Reden Joy Luna, one of the storeowner-beneficiaries of Project Hope, described his experience as a local business owner. “We were back to zero, and we couldn’t do anything. Instead of prioritizing the store, we prioritized our families. That’s why we had trouble adjusting. We lost our capital. But we were lucky to have benefitted from Project Hope. P&G gave us a starting capital of P3000 in products and we would not know how to begin again if not for this.’’

Storeowner Annalyn Jamora was desperate because she lost everything. ‘’But when I started selling, I began to feel alive again. I slowly regained strength and happiness.”

P&G worked closely with partners such as the Philippine Red Cross, ABS-CBN Sagip Kapamilya, GMA Kapuso Foundation, TV5 Alagang Kapatid, and UN Population Fund for immediate relief work. Together with Save the Children and World Vision, P&G also provided 25 million liters of safe drinking water through its P&G Purifier of Water technology.