In celebration of the 2021 National Women’s Month this March, the UP Institute for Small-Scale Industries will hold the Women in Social Enterprises (WISE) Webinar. The WISE Webinar features Filipino women in the field of social entrepreneurship, highlighting their stories, experiences and contributions to society. It also provides space for a meaningful conversation on the challenges women social entrepreneurs face and the kind of support that they need to address such, as well as to maximize opportunities for growth.
Social enterprises are “businesses that exist to address social and environment needs, [and] focus on reinvesting earnings into the business and/or the community.” Currently, there are over 160,000 social enterprises, which make up 11% of the country’s MSMEs sector (British Council, 2015).
According to a British Council report, women play a central role in the development and operation of social enterprises in the country, particularly in the achievement of its mission. Of the 34% growth in jobs achieved in the Philippine economy in 2014, it is estimated that 5% came from social enterprises. More than half of the jobs created by these social enterprises in the past years have benefitted women and newer social enterprises were found to more likely be led by women (British Council, n.d.).
The WISE Webinar will have representatives from the Institute for Social Enterprises in Asia (ISEA), Davao Oriental Coco Husk Social Enterprise, Inc. (DOCHSEI), and Igting (Maigting na Samahan ng mga Panlipunang Negosyante ng Towerville) to talk about their experiences in promoting social entrepreneurship in the country.
The Webinar is part of the UP ISSI’s Communities of Practice for Entrepreneurship (COPE) Webinar Series. It will be held on March 30 (Tuesday), from 2:00 to 4:00 PM through Zoom and Facebook Live (https://www.facebook.com/upissi). The event is completely free of charge and interested participants are encouraged to register at https://bit.ly/upissiWISE.
For inquiries and other concerns, please feel free to email us at issi.research@up.edu.ph.
Reference:
British Council Philippines (2015, August). A Review of Social Enterprise Activity in the Philippines. https://www.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/social_enterprise_activity_philippines.pdf
British Council (n.d.). Reaching the Farthest First: The State of Social Enterprise in the Philippines. https://www.britishcouncil.ph/sites/default/files/social_report_bc_fa_102517_web-compressed.pdf
Dela Cruz, K. (2020, April 8). A glimpse of the Covid-19 impact on Philippine social enterprises. Innovation for Social Impact Partnership. https://www.isip-ph.com/blog/2020/4/8/sia-ses-covid19-survey-results
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