The homegrown social enterprise Human Nature organizes the first Pinay & Proud Advocacy Summit at the College of St. Benilde School of Design and Arts Theater on October 19, 2016. This year’s “Your Goodness Shines” will present Pinay & Proud’s 10 women who made significant contributions in the fields of environmental protection, poverty alleviation and education.
Pinay & Proud honorees for 2016
Kara David (Journalist at GMA Network)
Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski (Olympics committee member)
Hindy Weber & Melanie Teng-Go (Holy Carabao Holistic Farms)
Reese Fernandez-Ruiz (Co-Founder of Rags2Riches)
Sabrina Ongkiko (Public School Teacher)
Ani Rosa Almario (Vice President of Adarna House & Co-founder of Raya School)
Anya Lim (Co-founder of Anthill Fabric Gallery)
Gabrielle Rabino & Rinalyn Pagao (Students at School of Experiential and Entrepreneurial Development)
Photo courtesy of Project Malasakit
“Don’t look at yourself as a gender, look at yourself as a real person, [there are] limitless opportunities and possibilities.” said Kara David who founded Project Malasakit.
Her NGO has sponsored 30 scholars, many of them former child laborers and from ethnic minority groups. It has reached over 800 families wherein they bring food, medicine and school supplies to far flung villages.
“Everybody wants to come here, they all want to see how we do it because they all want to bring it home. Just all the growth and everything that has been born from Gawad Kalinga… you can’t wait to see what else is going to happen.”
said Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski.
After a stellar equestrian career, she represented the Philippines at the International Olympic Committee. She also became a child rights ambassador of Plan International, a spokesperson for Anak TV, WWF-Philippines’ Earth Hour Steward and a Gawad Kalinga ambassador.
Photo courtesy of Human Nature
“Part of our advocacy is educating children, so from early on they understand the value of food and where it comes from and how to give reverence to the soil and the water and the animals that contribute to what they eat,” said Tantoco.
Holy Carabao advocates a back to nature, bio dynamic philosophy where food is grown without the use of chemicals. Melanie Teng-Go also said that it’s not merely about growing food but it also focuses on health, education, environment and also providing livelihood to farmers.
Abi Mapua-Cabanilla, Director of Benilde’s Hub of Innovation For Inclusion (HiFi), shares that Pinay & Proud resonates with many of Benilde’s institutional thrusts of academic excellence that contributes to inclusive nation building.
The university believes the school is the most logical place to raise compassionate, enlightened and empowered citizens who shall become powerful agents for social change. HiFi is an innovation space for social good.
Photo courtesy of Human Nature
Past Pinay & Proud honorees of Human Nature include Akiko Thomson-Guevara, Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, Maria Montelibano and Eugene Domingo. The Athenaeum String Quartet will be performing at the event. The summit is supported by the Philippine Commission on Women, MyPhone, PHAR, Village Pipol and The Manila Times.
For Human Nature’s First Pinay & Proud Summit details:
Date: October 19, 2016; 9am to 3pm
Venue: College of St. Benilde School of Design and Arts Theater
To register, visit Human Nature.
