Coca-Cola
Philippines and PCW enjoin the entire nation in celebrating the International
Women’s Day by forming the biggest human woman’s symbol—a strong affirmation on
their commitment to economically empower the Filipino women.
Manila, Philippines--Coca-Cola Philippines, in cooperation with the Philippine
Commission on Women (PCW), launch the Women's Month Celebration with the theme:
Juana ang Tatag Mo ay Tatag Natin sa Pagbangon at Pagsulong— a
celebration of the Filipino women's resiliency and the country's journey
towards disaster-recovery.
Kicking-off the month-long event is
an attempt to set the record of the most participated women symbol formation at
the Quirino Grandstand, March 08, with Coca-Cola and PCW gathering over 10,000
participants from the national and local government, academic institutions, and
civil society organizations.
“Our Women’s Month Celebration aims
to echo a united voice in valuing the indispensable role of women in recovery,
progress, and nation-building. Our line-up of activities for this month shows
the Company’s commitment to making a positive difference in the lives of
Filipinas,” says Atty. Adel Tamano, Vice-President for Public Affairs and
Communications, Coca-Cola Philippines.
Coca-Cola and Women Empowerment
The active participation of
Coca-Cola Philippines in the Women’s Month Celebration is aligned with its
global mandate to empower 5 million women by 2020, with a program branded
5by20.
Locally, the company has partnered
with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), to
create the Sari-Sari Store Training and Access to Resources (STAR) program,
with gender-sensitive modules customized for Filipino women micro-entrepreneurs.
It mainly aims to transform women sari-sari storeowners into becoming
better entrepreneurs through a combination of components that help them
overcome barriers to business success. The components of the program include:
(1) provision of scholarship for formal training on Basic Entrepreneur Skills
and Gender Sensitivity; (2) access to financial resources; and (3) access to
store merchandising support.
The 5by20 STAR Program is anchored
on the premise that Filipina variety store owners play a crucial role in the
economic development of small communities, through their businesses. It is
currently assisting more than 20,000 women in the country, including those who
have been affected by Typhoon Yolanda in the Visayas region.
Journey to recovery
“Coca-Cola is in a unique position
to help women retailers because of the nature of our business and our
operations. Through inclusion in our value chain, we ensure that our
beneficiaries would grow along with the company. For many years, we have been
championing well-being, women empowerment, and water stewardship,
but this time, we also aim to assist in the country’s recovery from Yolanda by
leveraging on our existing projects such as 5by20,” says Tamano.
To date, the Company along
with the USAID has committed to helping 1,500 sari-sari storeowners in the
Visayan region rebuild, rehabilitate, and restock their businesses.
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