By TRICIA AQUINO, Interaksyon.com

MANILA, Philippines – Over 700,000 families have received assistance last year from the business-led development organization Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) in the areas of health, education, environment, and livelihood and enterprise development.

This is according to PBSP executive director Rafael Lopa, who presented their gains at the annual membership meeting and foundation day on Tuesday at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati City.

From fiscal year 2014 to 2015, PBSP disbursed over P3.8 billion on health programs; P101 million on educational programs; P33 million on environment programs; and P103 million on livelihood programs.

PBSP is made up of over 200 small, medium, and large member-companies which commit to eradicating poverty. Its partner agencies and donors help scale up their impact.

Health

With the Philippine Coalition Against Tuberculosis and Samahang Lusog Baga, PBSP detected over 126,000 tuberculosis cases and reached geographically isolated areas and underserved communities to bring information about the illness.

It provided them tuberculosis treatment, including a Mangyan family of five from Mindoro. The household is now TB-free.

Through its 32 “Safe Motherhood” caravans, they were also able to educate over 6,000 women of reproductive age.

In a testimonial, a 27-year-old woman from Smokey Mountain in Manila said that through the caravan, she learned how to breastfeed properly, to have her infant go through newborn screening within 24 hours after birth, and to get tested for HIV.

Education

With Ace Insurance Foundation-Philippines, PBSP built over 266 new classrooms nationwide, even as 105 more were in various stages of construction. This was complemented by a feeding program.

Livelihood and enterprise development

PBSP also gave over 10,000 households livelihood assistance, and credit to over 23,000 micro and small enterprises, with the help of the United States Agency for International Development, Center for Agriculture and Rural Development-Mutually Reinforcing Institutions, Taytay sa Kauswagan Inc., Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation Inc., and ASA Philippines Foundation.

Some 20,000 survivors of Supertyphoon Yolanda (Haiyan) also gained back their livelihood through this assistance.

Environment

In its work towards water security, PBSP installed 12 potable water systems in partnership with Mercury Drug Corporation and Kangwayan Farmers Association, enabling 1,120 households to access safe drinking water.

A woman in Bantayan Island, Cebu, said, “We don’t have to use salt water anymore.”

Meanwhile, the International Rescue Committee, through PBSP, provided boats, fishnets, and access to financing to Yolanda-affected communities in Iloilo.

The organization also had initiatives in watershed management.

Inigan Upland Farmers Association president Sernito Ycay attended the event to express his thanks to PBSP. His association is one of seven farmers’ organizations being assisted by PBSP in the Marikina watershed.

“Lahat tayo ay nagnanais na maging maayos ang ating kabundukan upang ‘di na maulit ang pinsala ng bagyong Ondoy (All of us want our mountains to be healthy so that we won’t suffer the damages brought by the likes of tropical storm Ondoy),” Ycay said.

He noted that he and his fellow farmers from Rodriguez, Rizal, benefitted from projects such as the “Demo Farm” of Smart Communications, where they learned how to do organic farming and were able to establish a seedling nursery. They also received vegetable seeds and knapsack sprayers, and would be visited by the donors every now and then to be taught modern farming techniques.

PLDT and Motolite helped them cultivate five hectares of land as well. He added that PLDT also gave them a boat which they used to monitor the seedlings in the watershed.

The farmers’ organization would also go on field trips and trainings. They became more active in the programs of the Department of Agriculture, as well.

Ycay was particularly proud of their community’s school, which had been receiving aid for three years now from Brother International.

“Nais po naming ipagyabang na noong nakaraang taon ay nanguna ang aming paaralan sa buong Rizal (I would like to boast that in the past year, our school bested all the others in the entire province of Rizal),” he said.

This year’s theme for the PBSP membership meeting was “Solving Problems Together.”

“Our wish is for companies to champion the advocacies under each of the program areas, where projects that solve complex societal problems lead towards sustainable solutions,” Lopa said.

Article source: Interaksyon.com 01/26/16