Goducate’s tagline is Helping Asians Help Themselves. So Goducate has to walk the talk and try to be as self-sustainable as possible.
Some Goducate workers in Laguna have been supplementing their allowances through different livelihood projects, such as through soapmaking, through producing vermicompost, or through giving music lessons. Those making vermicompost have been producing about 50 sacks of such compost a month (250 kg/ month), but are now hoping to scale up production to meet the orders from a client who wants 200 sacks a month. Scaling up would mean having the capital for the raw materials.
Recently two new livelihood projects were started. Both produce cakes for local schools and food outlets.
In October Jonatan (who started the soapmaking project several years back) and his wife started producing home-made rice cakes. Starting humbly with a capital of 100 peso ($2.25) to produce 45 pieces, production has reached 320 pieces a day. Not only does this work give the couple a weekly profit equivalent to about half the basic minimum weekly wage for a Filipino, but also there is enough work for them to outsource some of the production to a few Goducate colleagues.
Also in October, another staff member, Arjay, and his wife Nancy started making cakes from sweet purple yam. The idea of working with purple yam came to Arjay when he noticed the purple color of a 100 peso note. 100 peso was the only money they couple had left at that time. With a capital of 150 peso, they produced 10 pieces. Now they are producing an average of 40 pieces a day and earn nearly half the basic minimum weekly wage for a Filipino.
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Goducate income-generating projects are geared not only to our staff. 5 of our sewing machines are being used by the community to produce 45 dozen elementary-school uniforms per week, whereas machinists at our sewing center in town have been trying to fulfil a 2-month order for 300 sets of uniforms for a private universities.
