ASKI being renowned as a microfinance institution realized that there is still other mode to help the underpriviledged. Giving the poor microfinance can augment their dilemma on source of revenue, but assisting them to become self-reliant and self-sufficient can develop them as productive individuals. It is thru Community Development that ASKI reach out for our "partners", assisting them to address their community issues and finding means to improve their lives. Microfinance can sustain the financial bottleneck of the poor, but Community Development can transform their communities and their lives as a whole. CIDP is the heart of ASKI.
Integrated Community Development Program
Integrated Community Development Program (ComDev) caters to the very poor communities and/or hard-to-reach areas, which are usually excluded from mainstream microfinance because of economic, geographic, or cultural factors. ASKI ventured into community development realizing that countryside development goes beyond credit. In this program ASKI uses an integrated approach that is participatory, transformational, and community-driven. ComDev complements the loan service program, inasmuch as value formation lies at the way core of responsible, effective and accountable entrepreneurship. |
This is also ASKI's contribution to the attainment of United Nation's Millenium Development Goals (MDG's). ComDev involves coordination with a wide network of local and international institutional partners to apply the following and/or services:
This project adopts community and minimum basic needs in forming community -based action groups, mobilizing them, and widening peoples's access to basic social services.
This includes organizing and establishment of People's Organization (POs), who are active in the delivery of sector projects in health, water and sanitation, food amd nutrition, evironmental awareness and protection, and income and livelihood generation. This approach also looks into developing existing informal organizations into full-blown cooperatives and associations, while strengthening the organizational expertise of local leaders.
These are ASKI-aided projects, which are participatory in approach, wide-based in ownership, and managed by stakeholders themselves. Among ASKI's sector projects are:
Intervention includes provision of sanitary facilities for marginal families as well as medical, dental and optical consultations.
This project initiates tree-planting activities but also leads to a more in-depth endeavor such as solid waste management.
- Basic and Non-Formal Education
This involves other agencies like the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Department of Education (DepEd) for the trainings of children and youth. Specific achievement includes training and education of 25 youth in cosmetology and building and wiring installation and 38 pre-school children in "Early Child Development".
The project includes provision and facilitation of sources of ordinary and potable wayer through the installation of water pumps.
This project includes food fortification program for malnourished infants and pre-school children.
This focuses on community and family-owned projects, which include rice wine production, quail egg production, tilapia (nilotica) production, hog raising, vending and trading, agricultural rice and crop growing.
Shelter is a new thrust, with the start of the house construction and renovation project for target communities.
Capability building covers training prorams both for the implements and the target communities. Capability building for ASKI staff includes training activities, on-the-job coaching and field exposure and immersion, done in coordination with public and private agencies and institutions. ASKI looks forward to enhancing institutional skills in delivering community development program by increasing staff enterprise and appropriate organizational systems approach.
Financial Services Association
This involves establishment of local partner groups using the Financial Services Associations (FSA) methodology in partnership with Plan-Philippines. This capability building-cum-microfinance project provides organizational building and business development support.
CIDP uses two approaches in developing communities:
- Minimum Basic Needs (MBN)
- Issue-Based Community Organizing (IBCO)
Both approaches aims to transform marginalized areas into a more productive and reliant status, CIDP rpovides training for the community such as Leadership Development, Organizational and Project Development, Resource Mobilization and Financial Management, and Para Legal Training. To date, 33 People Organizations (PO) were formend in 10 towns/22 villages with 1,406 members. CIDP extended services in Tumauini, Quirino, Ilagan and San Mariano, Isabela forming 10 People Organizations. Another project on Angeles, Pampanga which caters Housing Project thru Gawad Kalinga, DBP Livelihood Development.
CIDP live up to the vision of an empowered society effective in facilitating and implementing community driven development and a mission of to promote socio-economic and spiritual welfare of communities by enhancing thei skills and potentials to become responsible and productive.
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