STAR program empowers 5,000 Leyte micro-retailers Coca-Cola Philippines targets to help five million women entrepreneurs by 2020

Tacloban City, Leyte, Philippines — Beverage company Coca-Cola Philippines and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority have joined hands to economically empower women retailers in Leyte.

The province of Leyte, particularly, Tacloban City suffered the most from the wrath of super typhoon Yolanda that hit the country a year ago.

Some 5,000 women micro-entrepreneurs across the province of Leyte have been taught on how to successfully run a small business through the Sari-sari Store Training and Access to Resources (STAR) program, which aims to enable five million women entrepreneurs in the world by 2020. The initiative is aimed at helping economic recovery here accelerate faster at the grassroots level.

Coca-Cola Philippines vice president for public affairs and communications Adel Tamano said the STAR is a gender-sensitive program that attempts to emphasize women as vital players in economic development in various communities.

"This program teaches entrepreneurship and gender sensitivity because we want to highlight the struggles that women face. Some Filipino husbands don't consider what they do and what they have done (to the family and the community)," Tamano stated in an interview during the firm's Christmas program that gathered local sari-sari store owners to this city last November 8.

STAR is part of the 5 by 20 program of the Coca-Cola Company that particularly attempts to revive economic activity in Leyte towns ravaged by Yolanda last year and restore the livelihoods of the people. It has been running in various communities in the country since 2012.

The sari-sari store business, being the backbone of the Philippine consumer economy, has supported opportunities for community entrepreneurship and commercial abilities of micro retailers.

Under the program, TESDA is tasked to give training on entrepreneurship basics while micro-finance institutions provide financial resources for these small vendors to lend to be able to revive and continue their enterprise.

"After the training, we then introduce them to micro-finance partners for the resources," Tamano said, noting though that in the case of Yolanda survivor participants, they had to provide them first monetary resources as these retailers had nothing to start with.

Stories of recovery

For instance, Kristina Camigao, 26, of Barangay 79 Ugsad Marasbaras is one of the many small retailers in this city who have struggled to start a business again because of lack of resources and the hard situation they are in.

"Karamihan talaga sa amin ay umutang na lang para pangpuhunan sa negosyo. Kasi kung hindi ka naman uutang, di ka rin naman makapagsisimula kasi walang-wala talaga eh," Camigao, who is a mother of three, told The FREEMAN.

She earns an average of P300 a day from which she needs to set aside a certain amount for payment of the money she has loaned from Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation. She has been lending for months already as her family has no personal resources to use to fund their small enterprise.

"Pagkatapos nung Yolanda, yun ang hirap hindi mo alam kung paano ka magsimula ulit kasi nawasak lahat ng resources. Pero di kami nagpatalo at humanap kami ng paraan para mabuhay," the woman shared with a teary-eyed and shaky voice.

Julita Oliva, 56, of Barangay Pilit, Santa Fe in Leyte expressed hopes that they, small community vendors, could eventually fully recover from the wrath of the disaster. "Kahit na hindi naging madali yung pagbangon namin, umaasa pa rin kami na magiging maayos rin ang aming sitwasyon especially sa maliit naming negosyo," she said.

Rebuild

Social intervention, training and access to resources are what sari-sari store owners need to rebuild their livelihood and fasten their recovery in the grassroots level.

Camigao and Oliva are two of sari-sari store vendors who have been connected with micro-finance groups to access loans and other interventions to ensure their success. These vendors are allowed to lend from a minimum of P1,000 to a maximum of P10,000, depending on their capacity to pay.

The beverage firm's micro-finance partners are Alalay Sa Kaunlaran, Inc, ASA Foundation, First Community Cooperative and NWTF.

In the Philippines, at least 30,000 women retailers have already joined the program.

When asked about how much the company has invested in the program, Tamano said it has spent a substantial amount of resources, but stopped short of disclosing the exact figures.

Coca-Cola FEMSA Philippines, the largest public bottler of Coca-Cola products, recently announced it was pouring in additional investment in the country to expand its market assets and help develop the community retailers who are big part of its supply chain. (FREEMAN)