Friday, October 26, 2007 Accessories firm to train GK beneficiaries
A CEBU-BASED manufacturer of fashion accessories and home decorative items has partnered with a non-profit organization to help develop the entrepreneurial skills of underprivileged Cebuanos.
Pan Arts Corp. has tapped Gawad Kalinga (GK) Community Development Foundation Inc.-Cebu to teach the latter’s beneficiaries how to make export-quality charm bracelets and accessories for cellphones, bags and wine bottles.
The products will be known as Charmed Shelter Accessories and will be sold in different countries worldwide at suggested retail and wholesale prices.
Gahum Vincent Garcia, Pan Arts president, said charmed jewelry will continue to be a “hit” among foreign buyers as the products are deemed sustainable and “evokes a more personal emotion.”
“We want to raise the bar of productivity by centering on the SMEs (small and medium enterprises). This will not just be any charity item,” Garcia said.
Sale proceeds
In the memorandum of agreement (MOA) signing last Wednesday at the Cebu Country Club, Pan Arts has agreed to turn over all the proceeds of the sale of the products to GK Cebu.
“We are not after the money but (we want to help in) employment generation and enlarge our supplier base. It will be a long term benefit for both parties,” he said.
GK provincial head Danny Lagahid said the foundation is yet to determine how many local beneficiaries from among 12 GK sites in Cebu will take part in the project.
GK Cebu has implemented housing projects in Bantayan, Bogo, Liloan, Dumanjug and Minglanilla and in the cities of Mandaue, Cebu (in Ba-rangays Budlaan and Sambag), Talisay and Naga.
Garcia said the venture, which is to take effect immediately, will involve men and women GK beneficiaries.
“It’s not just about stringing the beads. There is a lot of technical skills involved that are of interest to the men,” he said.
GK finance officer Tanny Go said community development, such as providing livelihood programs among poor families, is “the most difficult” among the five major programs of the GK movement as it entails changing their mindset to become self-productive.
This is why GK lauds the efforts of Pan Arts to empower families, which used to eke out a living from scavenging wastes, by giving them gainful access to business opportunities, said GK productivity officer Ben Aliser.
“This will help restore their dignity,” he said. (MMM)
