Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. People around the globe have always aspired to be beautiful. Through ways big or small, the pursuit of ‘beauty’ not only enhances one’s appearance but also boosts an individual’s self-confidence.
The demand for beauty products and services has provided Pueblo De Oro Development Corporation and Science Park of the Philippines, Inc., companies under the ICCP Group, an opportunity to help the communities they operate in.
Through the ICCP Group Foundation, PDO and SPPI partnered with the Ang-Hortaleza Foundation, Inc. for the project dubbed “Ganda Mo, Hanapbuhay Ko.”
“Ganda Mo, Hanapbuhay Ko” is a five-day training program that equips trainees with basic skills in cosmetology as well as micro-enterprise development.
Local government units, government agencies, and NGOs work with PDO and SPPI to recruit possible trainees for a minimum of 25 up to 60 trainees per session.
The partnership started in 2016, where mothers from 32 communities in Hermosa, Bataan underwent cosmetology training. About 85 percent of the graduates applied their newly acquired skills and made it their livelihood.
With the success in the pioneer communities in Bataan, the project was replicated in Malvar, Batangas in 2018, with 31 graduates, and in Sto. Tomas, Batangas this year with 29 graduates.
The partners hope to expand the program to Cabuyao and Calamba in Laguna and in San Fernando, Pampanga.
After a series of trainings, mothers are equipped with skills which will enable them to apply for a part-time or full-time job in cosmetology services in their communities.
The program shifts to the next level for the graduates, particularly from Sto. Tomas and Malvar, Batangas, as starting September, the AHFI conducted sessions on Salon Management.
This module will not only reinforce the skills they already acquired, but it will also teach them how to utilize their skills to start and run a small business.
PDO, SPPI and the other companies in the ICCP Group firmly believe that through social development projects, they are giving communities the tools and opportunities to improve their lives.
In partnership with the ICCP Group Foundation, Inc., the ICCP Group companies have embarked on other projects and spearheaded programs such as Gulayan Sa Paaralan and Tulong Pambaon, among many others.
