Posts filed under ‘Alalay sa Kaunlaran, Inc. (ASKI)’
Long Distance Relationships: Remittances in the Philippines
By Allie Cook, KF15, Philippines
There are currently an estimated 10 million Filipinos currently working abroad, about one-tenth of the population. They are called Overseas Filipino Workers or OFWs. OFWs generally see their families, including children, once a year. ASKI, the microfinance institution (MFI) where I am currently based, is working on an innovative initiative to support OFWs.
Continue Reading 21 June 2011 at 20:00 lettheadventurebegin 6 comments
The Ants Go Marching One By One
By John Rauschkolb III, KF-12, Philippines
During my first lazy Sunday afternoon I sat outside, catching the rays and admiring the scenery. A large ant farm freeway was busily working its way to and from its hive on the hill to a small apple core which was thrown there the day before. The ants were diligent and tireless until 4:55pm. GONE. No ant to be seen and still plenty of apple core left to be consumed. Why were they gone you ask? They knew, in 5 minutes the rain would be coming and they needed to get to high ground.
Continue Reading 17 September 2010 at 10:00 jrauschkolb3 Leave a comment
A President to Rival Obama
John Rauschkolb III, KF-12, Philippines
The recent presidential election has changed the face of the Philippines for good. Local elections in the Philippines were held on Monday, May 10, 2010, and the elected president, Benigno Aquino III, has become the 15th President of the Philippines.
Continue Reading 19 August 2010 at 10:00 jrauschkolb3 6 comments
I quit my job for Kiva
It was the summer of 2008. As I sat and watched the stock markets crash around the world from my Cambodian apartment, I could not help but get nervous about my job prospects post fellowship. At that point, I felt like I’d made a mistake by leaving a great job in philanthropy to follow my heart by becoming a Kiva Fellow to learn how microfinance works on the ground. I remember when I told my family of my decision, they thought I was crazy. I was beginning to think they might be right. Watching US financial pillars crash and stock markets tumble each day, I worried and seriously asked myself, “What am I going to do once my time as a Kiva Fellow is done?”
Business Development Services
For any employee at Alalay sa Kaunlaran (ASKI) field partner, business and community development programs are seen as crucial in offering a holistic approach to serving the people of Luzon province in Northern Philippines. ASKI combines a variety of non-financial services with lending that is enhancing the technical, operational and strategic skills of clients – helping them to achieve financial and personal growth.
Candy, where’s my skirt?
Mary Riedel KF 9 Philippines
Last month I picked up my clothes from the Washeteria. I was psyched, walking home with that, “I have clean clothes to wear,” feeling (you know the one). I got home, opened the cube shaped bag, it smelled so nice, even my underwear were folded! “What can I wear tomorrow?”
I stumbled upon a long blue, polyester skirt. “Hmmm, this definitely doesn’t look like mine,” (although having worn uniforms for 12 years I did
feel a slight connection.)
Quickly I worried, “If I have someone else things I wonder if someone has anything of mine.” I looked, my black skirt was missing.
Dancing like we just don’t care – Happy New Years from KF9
Mary Riedel, KF9, Philippines
It’s that day of the year when we look forward with hope as we let go of last year’s demons and angels; as they say, “let go or get dragged!” So we put on those funny hats, blow those horns, and dance like we just don’t care!
To inspire you this New Years I’ve collected some dance footage of Kiva Fellows bustin’ a move in the field at their respective Kiva Field Partners (Microfinance Institutes). Each fellow recalls feeling a little trepidatious at getting out on the dance floor, but all seem to recount the story with a smile. If the US Post Office unofficial motto pledges that “neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” Then the Kiva Fellow unofficial motto might be something like, “neither typhoon, nor malaria, nor diarrhea, nor subzero temperatures, nor mouthfuls of exhaust, nor embarrassing dance exhibitions stays these fellows from tenaciously completing their appointed deliverables.
So when your out celebrating tonight if you feel like you’ve got lead in your feet or you catch a glimpse of yourself dancing in a reflection just remember the following 5 clips and keep on movin! If the Kiva fellows can do it…so can you! (more…)
Signing off from the Philippines
By Adam Preston, KF9, Philippines
ASKI client performs beachside karaoke before annual client meeting
I was perusing through my IPhoto gallery when it occurred to me, I am almost done here. Since October, I have been working at the head office of Alalay sa Kaumlarun or ASKI. I have been on two week long field visits, a day trip to deliver relief goods to typhoons victims, 4 ASKI client annual meetings, and even day of team building through sports and exercise, where I participated in a cheer competition. Needless to say, it has been a very full three months.
As I page through the photos and videos of borrower visits, I feel that I should have a resounding conclusion on microfinance or at least of P2P banking or at least of of Kiva. But I don’t. I have traveled throughout northern Luzon and meet with over 80 ASKI clients. I have found that the Filipinos are proud, hardworking people not looking for handouts, but rather for opportunity. There were the visits to people, like Jelly, who is not renewing her loan. She is taking a break from selling banana chips to focus on caring for her newborn baby. She has no plans to renew. Others, like Lourinda, a smart, strong center chief women, is a pillar in her community. She has renewed her loan multiple times and was recently recognized for her achievements as a business woman in the 2009 annual client meeting. Still others like, Jose who is not renewing his loan due to an farming accident earlier this year. Right now, he can’t work. He said that once he recovers, he might renew. While I have not made any startling discoveries, I have made a few observations:
Microfinance Requires a Team Effort
One thing I came into the Kiva Fellowship with is this idea that Kiva helps regular people make a direct impact in the life a poor person. In my mind I envisioned a women living in a grass hut only needing my $25 loan to start a business to finally lift herself out of poverty. After reading A Banker to the Poor, can you blame me? You as a lender are making a difference, but when you hit that lend now button you not acting alone to help this borrower out, you’re joining a team. What I have learned since being here is that it takes a finely tuned machine to lift communities out of poverty – and that finely tuned machine is the MFI. Just at ASKI, there are the loan officers (or project officers as they are called here), who routinely risk their safety to visit borrowers to collect the payments. There are the documentation officers, who reside in the branches and transfer and translate the loan applications to posted loans on Kiva. There are the communications officers who reside in the head office who oversee and coordinate documentation officer’s work. And this is just the tip of the iceberg of the MFI. There is a team of people working tireless behind the scenes to produce that one photo and the borrower profiles. And this isn’t even counting the Kiva staff responsible for keeping the Kiva platform humming. To achieve this this noble goal of alleviating poverty it requires a sustained, team effort.
It’s the Percentages, Stupid
We hear a lot about how Kiva isn’t perfect or that microfinance isn’t perfect. You don’t have to go very far on the internet to find criticism of microfinance in general or even Kiva in particular . One thing that I have learned since being here is that you can not judge the effectiveness of microfinance based on success of single MFI client (or even a single MFI for that matter) anymore than you can judge the effectiveness of baseball player by a single at bat. I do not have to go far to find examples where additional credit did not result in a prosperous business. But a simple fact remains; access to credit is essential for any business to function. As ASKI Executive Director Roland Victoria once said credit is the lifeblood of an economy. By supplying life to even the road side sari-sari store, gives the small business owner the best chance and climbing to that next rung. Over time, making credit more accessible will result in a higher percentage of stronger, healthier businesses.
Poverty Alleviation Requires More than Microcredit
One reoccurring message I have heard here is how ASKI is “Going beyond microfinance.” To truly lift an individual from poverty, credit is important, but so are other services such as insurance, savings programs, vocational training, community development, and disaster relief. Last week, along with the ASKI management team, I attended 4 ASKI client general assembly meetings. These meetings attended by up to 1500 ASKI clients are usually held around Christmas and serve as an opportunity to update the ASKI clients on the various ASKI programs. Local government officials are also there detailing government run social programs and also educating the audience on a variety of topics such consumer rights . These meetings require a considerable amount of work to plan and run, but are a great example of how ASKI is going beyond microfinance.
Mature Microfinance Institutions, such as ASKI, offer their clients an array of services that previously were not available to this segment of the population and these services are not purely financial in nature. I think mistakenly many of the academic studies are out to find a silver bullet. What I have learned in my short three month Kiva fellowship is that there is no silver bullet. However this should not dissuade us from participating. This is a very interesting time in our history where we finally have the technology to harness the collective power ordinary people for social good, and Kiva is leading the charge.
Adam Preston is a Kiva Fellow who proudly served at Alalay sa Kaunlaran, Inc (ASKI), Philippines.
“Tis the season”….Filipino Style
Mary Riedel KF9, Philippines
Filipino Parols/Christmas Lanterns outside the NE Pacific Mall
…”Tis the season,” and, “twas the season” from the moment I arrived in the Philippines on October 3rd – a Kiva Fellow bound for Kiva’s Microfinance Partner ASKI. (Microfinance field partners, are a critical link in connecting Kiva lenders with Kiva borrowers. Check out this rad video to learn more about the process). The Christmas Season starts sometime in September and lasts though the middle of January. I distinctly remember my first encounter with Christmas the weekend after I arrived in Cabanatuan City, PI. I was lured into a day spa by ambiant music and reclining chairs. I decided to get a facial, and was totally relaxed. Then all of the sudden about a 1/4 of the way through my delicious experience, the music changed to the “All Christmas Music, All the time” station….45 minutes of fa-la-la was intense…. So my initial “black and white” plan of totally ignoring Christmas this year, while out in the field volunteering as a Kiva Fellow, seemed unlikely.
So I’ve been trying to create a new Christmas, a sort of Gray Christmas. (That actually sounds pretty dismal. Alright how about a turquoise Christmas, not green and not blue – somewhere in the middle of the two on the color wheel). With my new outlook in mind yesterday I said hello to Christmas and went Christmas shopping. (Scrapping my initial plan to just buy gifts for my family online, which felt cold (kind of blue:-) and disconnected for me). Oddly enough my first stop was at ASKI in Cabanatuan City where I “work.” As it turns out ASKI operates a merchant store called, “ASKI Marketing Cooperative,” where they sell some products their borrowers make (some of them are Kiva borrowers but not all – in order to remain solvent only 1/3 of MFI clients/borrowers can be funded by Kiva ). The products range from traditional clothing, shoes, arts and crafts, food, stationary, handbags an so on.
(more…)
My Field Trip to Tuguegarao City
By Adam Preston, KF9, Philippines
AKSI clients prepare lunch
In addition to being a very hard word to spell, Tuguegarao (pronounced too-gig-a-raou), is the location of one of the ASKI branches that posts their clients on the Kiva website. It’s also the destination of my second trip to the field. One part of my job as a Kiva Fellow is to help conduct borrower interviews for journal updates. Even though these field trips can be somewhat of a grueling experience, to me this is one of the most effective ways to connect the lenders to the borrowers. And so it was, on Monday morning at 5:30 AM Teke, our loyal driver, Kenneth, an ASKI staff member, Mary, my KF partner, and I loaded up the minivan and headed out for an 9 hour ride to Tuguegarao City.
Eating Frogs
That next morning, accompanied by three members of the local branch staff we headed out and for a full schedule of meeting with ASKI clients. As we headed out of town, with our lists and Flipcams in hand, I noticed a women selling something on the side of the road. Trying to get the conversation going in the car, I asked what she was selling. Its was then that a burst of Tagalog erupted in the car, then some giggling. It wasn’t long after asking that seemingly innocent question, that we had stopped the car, negotiated a price, and stowed away in the front seat our lunch. Yep, frogs. Later that afternoon, we sat down to a wonderfully prepared and delicious meal prepared by some clients. And yes, it actually does taste like chicken.
Caving
I think if you would ask someone in my home state of Minnesota the name of the activity of hiking in a cave, they would probably say “Hiking…in a cave”. When asking a Filippino the same question, they would describe this activity as “Caving.”
Well, after finishing up on Wednesday we went “Caving” at Callo Cave, one of the local attractions. Along with two, the local ASKI field officers, and my Kiva Fellow partner in crime, we all partook in the what ended up being one of the more grueling cave hikes I can remember. Don’t get me wrong, it was good but it was also very slippery and required the utmost concentration as to avoid slipping into what I can only imagine as the abyss. In the end it was worth it, the rock formations, the natural skylights, the very dark and damp sanctuary.
That Friday night, 1 cave, 1 fried frog, and thankfully no renditions of “Bottles of Beer on the wall” later we all arrived back in Cabanatuan City safe and sound.
Adam Preston is a Kiva Fellow at Alalay sa Kaunlaran, Inc (ASKI), Philippines. He thinks you should click here to lend a helping hand to one of ASKI’s clients today.
“Ok. Next question…”
Laughing with Myrna Data, a Kiva Borrower
Mary Riedel, KF9, Philippines
“…What do you think your biggest challenge will be if you become a Kiva Fellow?”
I heard this question twice during my interview process with Kiva. On both occasions I was sitting at my kitchen table in San Francisco, working from home (experiencing some cabin fever), and planing to meet up with friends later in the day. My answer was, “Feeling disconnected from friends and family.” And yes, some days staying connected has been a bit of challenge, looking at the clock wishing it was telling me a different story, jumping to Skype and hoping to to see little green dots. For the most part though, communication has been good, it just takes more planning and acceptance.
So that’s not my biggest challenge… (more…)
Hey, Joe
I have been mistaken for this guy a lot since I've been here
By Adam Preston, KF9, Philippines
The Filipinos are a very generous people. So generous, in fact, that if they don’t know your name, they will even give you a name – and that name is Joe. I am greeted in this way no less than 3 or 4 times in a day, coming from men and women both young and old: “Hey Joe!”
As many guide books will tell you, in many parts of the Philippines foreigners especially males of Caucasian decent (read: white dudes) will be greeted as “Joe” referring to the GIs (American soldiers) who had a presence here through World War II.
“Finally, Filipinos have a unique greeting for male (and sometimes female) Westerners: ‘Hey Joe!’ (‘Hey Kano!’ is a less used variation). Both are hangovers from Word War II when the country was overrun by GI Joes or American soldiers (‘kano’ comes form Americano’) and are used ad nauseam. Of course, if your name’s Joe, you’ll feel pretty special. If not, you may start to feel like a clown set especially to give the locals a laugh.”
“Philippines”, Lonely Planet, p. 63, Edition 8, 2009
What is interesting about this experience isn’t just that this moniker dates back more than 50 years, but it is how it is often said, the utter exuberance in which the greeting is delivered. When waiting for my tricycle and I hear someone shout “Hey Joe!”, oddly, I don’t feel insulted. When I look over at the guy saying this, he is looking right at me with a big smile on his face. He seems to be genuinely glad to see me. I politely turn and wave and reciprocate in the only way that I know how: “Hey buddy”, I respond.
Adam Preston is a Kiva Fellow working with ASKI in Cabanatuan City, Philippines. He answers to both the name his mother gave him and also now to Joe. To get involved click here.
Seriously? Another Typhoon?
Tracking "Ramil" - Northern Luzon, Philippines
By Mary Riedel, KF9, Philippines
This is how my morning started…woke up around 5 am – packed and ready to go – off on my first trip to meet the Kiva borrowers after 2 weeks in the Philippines! Started humming a little tune to myself…”I’m on my way, I don’t know where I’m going, I’m on my way, taking my time but I don’t know where….( shout out to Simon and Garfunkel)” (more…)
When the Floods Recede
The aftermath of Typhoon Parma
By Adam Preston, KF9, Philippines
We as Kiva lenders want to believe that the borrowers take out their loans in good faith. We want to believe that the Kiva field partners conduct the necessary due diligence to ensure that their clients have ability and determination to succeed. But what happens when everyone is doing the right thing and disaster strikes? Given the natural disaster that recently fell upon the Central and Northern Luzon provinces of the Philippines, what if even the best MFI clients cannot meet their loan obligations? What then? (more…)
“After the storms, a new morning comes.”
The rain has stopped! Umbrella and tricycle outside ASKI!
Mary Riedel, KF9, Philippines
I’m sitting in Cabanatuan City, Philippines on the island of Luzon, which is one of the main islands in the Philippines (a nation composed of over 7000 islands). My name is Mary Riedel and it’s Day 5 of my Kiva Fellowship at Alalay sa Kaunlaran, Inc. (ASKI) (a partner in development). ASKI has been an MFI Partner with Kiva for 10 months and I am the third fellow to be on the ground here with Adam Preston fellow #4. They have over 2000 Kiva Entrprenuers and have raised a little over 400K on Kiva.
It’s weird to be so close to the recent devasation of Ketsana (Ondoy – local name) and Parma (Pepang – local name) and still feel somewhat removed from it all, apart from the rain of course and carrying “payong ko” (my umbrella). However, it has touched the lives of many employees here and all of the Kiva clients/borrowers at ASKI who live in Region II (Northern Luzon) where there was serious damage from Parma. This region was chosen to be “Kiva Country,” (as the ASKIANS call it) because it is the most remote and under-served area in the ASKI portfolio.
The power of your loan
By Drew Loizeaux, KF8 Philippines
The last 4 months working as a Kiva Fellow have allowed me an up close look at many different sides of microfinance. It has been fascinating for me to see and made me look at the loans I make through Kiva in a different way.
As Kiva Lenders, our money not only goes to the borrowers themselves, but through our interest free loans we are also directly supporting each Kiva Partner that we lend through. Each Kiva Partner is different, and no matter what your reason is for believing in the power of microfinance, there is an organization that will fit your philosophy. In the same way that you may buy local, fair trade or made in the USA products you also can put your money in an MFI who’s mission you connect with. This is a powerful tool that each lender can, and should appreciate.
At ASKI for example, the MFI I am currently working with, the revenues from the microcredit program go to fund many other social programs that help enrich the lives of not only their clients, but also the communities in which they live. Below you can see are a few videos that highlight the ripple affects our loans can have.
This is a presentation I attended last week, where a member of a local ASKI sponsored youth group explains a village water project they are working on.
ASKI has always looked to provide more than just microcredit to their clients; ASKI Foundation was created last year to formalize and strengthen some of ASKI’s “Beyond Microfinance” programs. You can see ASKI Foundation General Manager, Bogg Burbos, talk about its programs further in the video below.
What a difference a government makes
Four weeks ago I left my first placement in Cambodia and came to the Philippines where I started my second assignment with Kiva Field Partner ASKI. With each day at ASKI I have been more and more impressed by the dedication of the staff and the amazing programs that they are running.
Last week I started working on a blog post where I plan to conduct video interviews with staff that work on what ASKI calls, their “Beyond Microfinance” programs. These programs include; health insurance, life insurance, community development, housing loans for government built low income housing units, marketing training, finance training and a whole foundation that provides everything from child care to scholarships to toilets.
As I began to research each program’s operation it became obvious that each one of them were a testament to the staff’s tireless efforts to serve their clients in every possible way. Most of the programs are funded directly through profits earned in their core micro credit business, which I thought was an incredible use of profits. There was something else I discovered that struck me as well; many of these programs would not be possible without partnership with or support from the Filipino government.
I found that the health insurance, life insurance and housing loan programs are in direct partnership with the government, and the community development program helps villages work with the local government to complete valuable infrastructure projects.
I immediately thought back to my time in Cambodia and I asked myself:
Welcome to “Kiva Country”!
“Kiva Country” is what ASKI-MFI (Alalay sa Kaunlaran, Inc.) staff like to call the Isabella Province, the region where their Kiva clients live and work. ASKI MFI is a new Kiva partner in the Philippines. Their headquarters are in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija about 3 hours north of Manila, 10 hours if there is traffic and there is always traffic. They’ve been working hard these past months on their Kiva partnership, and are growing quickly. Beyond micro-finance, ASKI also offers many benefits and programs to their clients such as life and health insurance, educational scholarships, and business training. Their approach is holistic.
As a Kiva Fellow with a new partner, my job is to document everything, verify clients, and bring this information to the Kiva team and to Kiva lenders. I am so excited to be able to bring Kiva’s first field visit with ASKI-MFI to you.
Welcome to "Kiva Country"!
Check-out current Kiva ASKI borrowers to lend to.
Kiva Fundraising loans at ASKI MFI
To learn more about ASKI Microfinance Institution and their holistic approach to alleviating poverty, please visit their website. http://www.aski.com.ph/
Teresa Dunbar just finished her Kiva Fellowship with ASKI MFI, Cabanatuan, Philippines. She’s been a Kiva Fellow since August 2008 with MFI’s in Cambodia and the Philippines. She previously worked for The Christensen Fund, promoting bio-cultural diversity resilience. She holds a BA in Cultural Anthropology and Spanish.
Tarantula, Dog, or Duck Fetus, srey Teresa (sister Teresa in Cambodian)?
Being a Kiva Fellow in Southeast Asia you meet many small business owners. Some of these business owners sell what I like to call “culinary adventures”. So as not to offend people, you get a chance to try many of the dishes. Over the course of my seven months, I’ve discovered after a while to stop asking what it is, and just try it. Some have left their impressions on me though, and I thought I’d share them with you.
Let’s see, in Cambodia you have fried tarantula and various bugs such as beetle, cricket, and bee larva. The most delicious and famous ones come from the Kampong Cham region, northeast of Phnom Penh. You can get them on the side of the road as you motorbike by, or at any local street market.
"love, love, love me some good tarantula!"
You also have dog. This dish was bought for me by Rong, a Cambodian friend. He told me, “You have to try it since you don’t have it in the US, and after you try it, you must text me what you think.” I was told that dog is a meat that makes you warm. It is eaten mainly by men and coupled with beer. The best dog restaurant in Phnom Penh is just east of the Boung Keng Kong Market.
And I did have a beer or two with it. It just went down better with a beer. My stomach is still upset just thinking about it.
You also have boiled duck fetus eggs called “pong tea koun”. Fortunately, I only had one opportunity to eat it, and my Cambodian friends at CREDIT-MFI let me slide on that one as I watched them chow-down. As they pulled the fetus from its shell, I could see the partially formed baby duck complete with head, neck, beak, and wings. It was explained to me that you can buy “pong tea koun” at different fetus stages, a few days old to 2-weeks old. It all depends on your taste. It was the nastiest looking thing I had ever seen someone eat. It is said that they give you strength and energy.
Now, Khmer and Filipino cuisines do not have much in common, but they do seem to share the same love for boiled duck fetus eggs. In Tagalog, it is called “balut”, and unfortunately, this time my Filipino friends at ASKI-MFI would not take, “No” for an answer.
Now, if you eat “balut” like a lady, you don’t pull the embryo out of the shell, you eat it bit by bit with a little spoon so you don’t have to actually see what you are eating. Lucky for me, the ladies at ASKI-MFI eat “balut” like men which is what they required of me. To eat “balut” like a man, you pull the entire fetus out of its shell in order to see the almost formed fetus duck body . It usually takes about 2-3 bites to completely eat.
Balut, see the fetus duck head on the right?
Needless to say my “culinary adventures” continue. I will be in Cabanatuan City, Philippines with ASKI-MFI for the next three months bringing you Kiva client stories and blogs. Hope you enjoy them, I am off to lunch now.
Hmmmmm, should I have goat or more balut?
