Thursday, December 06, 2007 Families receive capital
HIGH school students of Cebu-based Centre for International Education (CIE) have not only started to become today’s new generation of entrepreneurs but are also helping Cebuano families develop their entrepreneurial skills.
The school’s third and fourth year high school students have successfully opened small-scale businesses in compliance with their Business Studies, and Technical Works Ethics (TWE) classes.
Through the school-initiated Gift of Gold program, students were told not only to venture into a low-capital business but to tap local families as beneficiaries, said CIE TWE teacher Mary Jane Rieta.
In this program, the young student-entrepreneurs create a business in partnership with beneficiary-families as a means of helping the latter liberate themselves from poverty, she said.
“Not only are the kids trained to make a business but to help their beneficiaries sustain the business,” Rieta said in an interview Tuesday during the CIE Business Trade fair opening at the Ayala Center Cebu.
Payback
The students have started displaying their products during a three-day exhibit at the mall’s activity center beginning last Dec. 4.
Rieta explained that eventually, the families will have to pay the start-up capital paid by the students should they intend to sustain the business for themselves.
“It’s three years of monitoring. If the family is willing to pay back the capital of the students, then the kids can let go of the business,” she said.
According to Rieta, the beneficiary-families were identified with the help of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Among those businesses that have started to partner with local families are Savon (soaps), Papeterie (paper machete products), The Funk Junction (bags), and Ar Saudavel (aromatherapy oils and colognes).
Joelson Fabian, level 11-A student and chief executive officer (CEO) of Savon, said their business has partnered with Carolina Ebesa of Barangay Pardo for the manufacturing and marketing of scented soaps sold at P50 per bar.
In the long run, he mulls of helping the beneficiary open up a stall.
The Funk Junction, specializing on tote and messenger bags, has worked with a polio victim as its recipient, said Sara Abbu, level 12-B student.
She said bag-making will be a more practical venture for the beneficiary who used to be a tailor or dress-maker.
The bags, made of poly-canvass, are sold at P300 to P450 each and are ideal for ages 13-21 years old, added Alyssa Lao also of level 12-B.
Ar Saudavel CEO Joanchin Dompor said proceeds of their aromatherapy products will go to Jacqueline Ahon, their chosen beneficiary.
Henrick Ryan Tan, finance and logistics officer, said their products are ideal as gift items and would be a viable business for all occasion.
On the other hand, Myrna Pador, the recipient of Papeterie, said paper machete as a business will be an added money-making venture on top of her other ventures like bag and rag-making.
“I plan to continue this,” said Pador in Cebuano, who is also a housewife.
Most of the student-initiated businesses had at least P20,000 as working capital pooled from a class of 21 students, each with a contribution of P500. (MMM)
