Apl Foundation: Culture

NWTF began in 1984 to help women achieve self-sufficiency and self-reliance, particularly in Negros Occidental’s low-income and depressed urban and rural communities. It seeks to increase women’s awareness of their economic potential, to increase their skills and productivity andto improve their quality of life.

Replicating the Grameen Bank credit methodology, NWTF established Project Dungganon (“Honorable”) and an individual lending program called Project Kasanag (“Light that offers Hope”) which are designed to guide these women to become entrepreneurs and gain a better livelihood.

NWTF’s Project Dungganon Insurance Package offers Life Insurance, Hospital Income Benefit, AccidentalDeath Benefit, Permanent and Total Disablement, Medical Reimbursements and Weekly Indemnity to these women.

The insurances also include a Retirement Fund for the members and provides for the member’sspouse in the event of death or disablement. In 2004, NWTF launched a Scholarship Program and extended scholarship grants to the children of its clients so that they may pursue their undergraduate studies.

It has also introduced the Micro-crop loan, a new product designed to address the needs of the Agrarian Reform beneficiaries, giving them the opportunity to cultivate their own land and retain ownership of it.

One of NWTF’s main programs is its livelihood development training for underprivileged women that helps women gain skills to set up their own businesses. The women receive training on basic entrepreneurship, simple bookkeeping, product costing and pricing, product development and product packaging and labeling.

NWTF also conducts the training of trainers to help extend its outreach to more underprivileged women. Todate, NWTF has reached out tomore than 157,000 women through its programs and provides scholarships to about 20 students. Approximate costs: A contribution of $30,000 will train 120 trainers who will in turn provide livelihood development training for 10,000 women, enabling them to start a sustainable livelihood for the benefit of their children and family.