RAFI Micro-finance joins ME Naman!

By Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc.
March 26, 2013

CEBU CITY – Three clients of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) Micro-finance were among the 150 select participants to the Me Naman, Na Naman! Pinoy Micro-entrepreneurs' Convention, a gathering of micro-entrepreneurs from all over the Philippines last March 6-8 in Metro Manila.

Participants from RAFI Micro-finance were nanays Josefina Magallones (Argao branch), Virgilia Bonghanoy (Cebu City branch), and Ma. Lydia Jamora (Cebu City branch).

PinoyME Foundation organized the said event in celebration of their seventh anniversary of lifting lives through micro-finance. It was a free event that brought together micro-entrepreneurs and observers from micro-finance institutions and non-government organizations to share their experiences, gain new knowledge and skills that they could apply to their own businesses, and link them to bigger markets.

Some officials of PinoyMe Foundation and other companies delivered inspiring messages and shared success stories in micro-financing.

“It is possible to earn while helping the community. In this way, we are also giving others the opportunity to have a better life,” Rommel Juan, president of Binalot Fiesta Foods Inc., said.

Renowned television and movie director Jose Javier Reyes hosted a segment wherein outstanding micro-entrepreneurs shared their experiences, from managing their livelihood to providing for their families, and even helping their communities.

Sample products from selected participants were also evaluated by potential markets, such as ECHOstore, Pinoydelikasi, PHILFOODEX, and Philippines Amalgamated Supermarket Association Inc.

"Products should be designed according to the target market, which should be studied well," Jeannie Javelosa, co-founder and director of ECHOstore, stressed.

RAFI Micro-finance nanay, Josefina Magallones, a torta maker from the Argao branch, was among the MEs chosen to present their products.

On the second day of the convention, partner government agencies such as Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Department of Science and Technology (DOST) provided information on how to develop products and proper design and how to avail their services economically.

The MEs shared their insights on business with one another while the observers discussed ways to assist the micro-entrepreneurs to realize their goals and utilize their full potential.

“This is an experience that I would always cherish because it was my first time to go to Manila with my husband and at the same time, I was able to learn new ways and brilliant ideas to run my business,” Virgilia Bonghanoy, the Most Outstanding RAFI Micro-finance Client in 2012, shared.

Important points emphasized in the convention include efficiency in managing a business, strengthening a business towards expansion, market identification, packaging for sales and long-term shelf life, application of technology, and regular monitoring.