Article by Marisa B. Baccol
CATBALOGAN CITY, Samar – A team from the University of the Philippines-Diliman, led by Ms. Luisa S. Lee (Project Leader), visited Samar State University from August 12 to 13, 2024 for the “Mobilizing and Advancing Science-based Social Enterprises through Innovation and Guided Learning Towards Organizational Agility” (MAScIGLA) project. This a collaborative initiative between DOST-PCAARRD and the University of the Philippines-Institute of Small-Scale Industries (UP-ISSI) seeks to empower social enterprises in the Philippines through innovative practices and guided learning.
During their visit, the team held a meeting with the Balante Women’s Association of Brgy. Balante, Basey, Samar. This association is a beneficiary of the SSU Center for Lifelong Learning’s (CeLL) Science and Technology Community Based Farm project, which focused on producing sweet potato flour as a substitute for wheat flour, funded by DOST-PCAARRD.
Given the association’s prior involvement with the Science and Technology Community Based Farm program, DOST-PCAARRD and UP-ISSI identified them as a key beneficiary of the MAScIGLA project. This partnership seeks to enhance the association’s capacity as a social enterprise, enabling them to continue contributing to local economic development and improving the livelihoods of their community members.