PBSP joins UST NGO fair

Hundeds of Thomasians eagerly trooped to the booth of Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) during the annual Non-Government Organization (NGO) fair last September 17-18 at the University of Santo Tomas (UST) to know more about its programs and sign up for volunteering activities.

 

Students were oriented on PBSP’s flagship programs in the health, education, environment, livelihood (HEEL) sectors as well as its Project New Dawn campaign to help in the long-term rehabilitation efforts of Typhoon Yolanda survivors in the Visayas, and the Inclusive Business Imperative initiative which integrates the poor in a company’s value chain. 

 

Titled “Be Involved: NGO 2014,” the event which gathered over 20 local and international NGOs at the UST Plaza Mayor aimed to expose the youth to the NGOs’ diverse advocacies which could broaden their involvement in social responsibility.

 

“The NGOs will help cater to their interests and give them avenue to contribute to society in anyway possible.” said Krystyna Nicole Feliciano, vice-president for external affairs, Faculty of Arts and Letters Student Council. 

 

PBSP’s Corporate Affairs team shared the foundation’s advocacies through fun-filled activities and games. They also identified the various events where Thomasian students can volunteer to gain a rewarding experience in the social development sector. Students also expressed themselves in the PBSP freedom wall where they wrote their statements and personal advocacies. 

 

“The freedom wall specifically gave the students the chance to express their willingness to volunteer and participate. The memory game was fun and I also heard good feedback as the cards lay on the floor. It attracted the students to be oriented by the NGO,” Feliciano added.

 

Participating NGOs in the event included Amnesty International, Ibon Foundation, Greenpeace, World Vision and Yabang Pinoy.

 

About Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) 

  

Established in 1970, Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) is the largest business-led social development organization in the country committed to poverty reduction. With more than 250 large, small and medium-scale companies as members, PBSP helps uplift the lives of Filipinos through social development programs that focus on Health, Education, the Environment, and Livelihood & Enterprise Development (HEEL). Since the start, PBSP has been at the forefront of advocating for stronger corporate citizenship with the aim of supporting inclusive national development.

 

PBSP has been influencing the Philippine business community to integrate CSR practices into their core businesses and advocating the application of business strategies in addressing poverty. 

 

In 2010, PBSP began looking at the concepts of Inclusive Business and the need to use the Collective Impact framework when tackling big societal challenges.

 

Promotion and development of Inclusive Business models for the strategic Platforms for Collective Engagements (PlaCEs) in the areas of Health, Education, Environment and Livelihood and Enterprise Development (HEEL) are at its core program agenda.

 

PBSP is also continuously observing trends in Overseas Development Assistance and partners with both international and local nonprofit and aid organizations to promote inclusive national development. Because of its extensive experience in social development, PBSP has cultivated relationships with both the government and the private sectors that it leverages to participate in Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) that empower communities around the Philippines.

 

 

Press release from the Philippine Business for Social Progress