When worlds collide in a positive way — Social Sabbatical Philippines (Week 1)
Starting the trip to the Philippines
I have to tell you that the days prior to my trip to the Philippines were really exciting. My first time in Asia, my first time in the Philippines. I started my travel on a Thursday evening and arrived on Saturday evening. It was for sure a long flight, 12 hours from São Paulo to Istambul and 11 hours from Istambul to Manilla. But it was quite smooth, better then expected. I am a good sleeper, so I slept the major part of the trip.
During my connection in Istambul, I met the first participant of the team, Valentin. What a sweety and funny person. We had a very good connection immediately. For me, a good sign of what I would be finding in the next days. After 11 hours from Istambul to Manilla, Numbers 8 and 9, Nayla and Valentin, arrived to Manilla and got the chance to meet our Pyxera Global Coordinator, Norman Cualteros.
Kick off Meeting
During the weekend, we are able to meet our colleagues from SAP. We had some team building activities, we discussed the scope of work of our customers and we had a very nice first dinner as a team of 12 SAP employees in Social Sabbatical in the Philippines.
Monday, February the 04th, time to meet our customers in person and have the official kick off of our projects.
We were received by Vidhata Naik, our program manager from Pyxera Global and also Hazel Taparan, MD of SAP Concur in the Philippines and Rudy Abrahams, President and MD of SAP Philippines.
But, more important , we finally met our customers, Germaine De Ruña, from Mother Earth Foundation. Now, the journey was about to start.
We live in different metaverses — finding a common mission!
We started our work with Mother Earth Foundation (MEF). MEF is a very serious NGO, that started its history in 1998, when a group of 15 women and men, led by their founder, Mrs Sonia Mendoza, advocated for the segregation of their village's waste and converted an empty lot into a central composting area and garden. Soon people started coming to their village and see what they have done to learn on how to duplicate it.
Since then, the organization grew and has provided consultancy services to local government units and other organizations through training and reorientation to have a zero waste mindset. Now, after more than 25 years, MEF has become a household name for enabling local governments and NGOs in implementing Zero Waste programs.
Honestly, during this week, I have experienced a very different mindset working with a foundation focused on a greater good. The Philippines face a huge challenge on plastic waste and since the RA9003, the country has been facing challenges to implement the law. If you want to know more, you can take a look at this link. (https://blogs.worldbank.org/eastasiapacific/addressing-plastic-pollution-crisis-philippines-new-momentum)
Week 1 of our project was meant to listen and to learn what MEF has been doing, how they act in accordance with the law, how they partner with local government units in order to aim a zero waste community.
We had many interviews with MEF team, learning their job, their challenges and their aspirations to go beyond their actual borders in order to have a bigger and broader impact. But the real eye opening thing was the field trip.
Field trip — Opening our eyes, our hearts, our souls to the mission, to the people impacted
On Thursday, February the 08th, we finally met some projects of MEF.
We met 3 SARI SARI stores that have been "mothered". In the usual SARI SARI stores, people buy sachets (really small plastic bags) of everything. As the salaries are low in the country, people can only afford to buy small quantities that come in sachets. In a "mothered" SARI SARI store, you could see people actually going to the stores with their own containers and eco bags in oder to buy things. Take a look at a zero waste SARI SARI store.
After visiting some Zero Waste SARI SARI Stores, we were able to go to a Material Recycling facility (MRF). It really surprised me to see the passion and the focus of people working on the MRF's and taking care of their gardens in the middle of the slums. But this is one of the mandatory requirements of the law that each Barangay needs to have a MRF. This is where waste in separated, recycled and reused when possible.
Week 1 — Impressions
About Mother Earth Foundation, it really impresses me how much they have accomplished with so little resource. The focus, the passion and the mission are so loud and clear to them.
About the Zero Plastic challenge, we are facing a HUGE problem and honestly, the more I think about, the more I am worried about us getting drowned in plastic. What are you doing to change that?
About the country, as I come from Brazil, I see so many similarities. The income gap, very wealth people and very poor people, is visible. The poverty, the lack of opportunities, the immense traffic and the pollution are a real problem in the Philippines as well as in Brazil.
Women Power — I see women everywhere!! Yes, on the field, in the SARI SARI stores and MRF's, women are all over the place! Asking MEF about it, they told me that the majority of people working in the MRF's are women (you can see it in the pictures above). It really made me proud of women and I really hope that they are as proud as I am of their resilience and strength.
When different worlds colide? Well, I think there is more opportunity then we can realize and we, the privileged people (I for sure include myself here), we have the duty to do something. Work for a NGO, donate money, do any volunteer work, segregate you trash, recycle, reuse, but please DO something! Why not different worlds finding positive intersectionalities?
What changed in me this week? Hummm…. When I went on the field trip, It was really heart break for me to see the poverty and many people looking for a way to survive on the real basic needs. But on the other hand, even with the difficulties, I could see a shining look in their eyes of making something for our world and the future generations to come. About the people I met not only in the field trip but also in Mother Earth Foundation team, it was the highlight of the week!! I felt embraced, loved and honestly, this is the MOST important thing to me. I try to connect to them in a very soul/heart vibe, because at the end, what is really important is how you make an impact on them. Honestly, I feel lucky, because I have been the most impacted one at the end.
Good bless you!
With all the love and care from Ate Nayla.
SALAMAT PO!
