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SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP: A COOPERATIVE PLATFORM BETWEEN THE PHILIPPINES AND FRANCE
The Filipinos and the French do not share a common language,
culture, or history, but they share a common humanitarian tradition. For Filipinos, it is seen in bayanihan. For the French, it is seen in their active civil society which has given birth to global foundations such as Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), the founders of the “without borders” movement work. So it was not a surprise that Gawad Kalinga resonated among the French, particularly its youth. Since 2010, Gawad Kalinga has welcomed over 1,500 French interns and volunteers in various Gawad Kalinga communities all over the Philippines. Every year, the number keeps on growing. In 2017, Gawad Kalinga welcomed 275 French interns and volunteers to the Philippines. Established in 2003 by Tony Meloto, Gawad Kalinga's mission is to bring 5 million Filipinos out of poverty by 2024. Gawad Kalinga intends to do this in three phases of seven-year periods: •The first phase (2003 to 2010) focuses on the restoration of the dignity of the marginalized through the construction of Gawad Kalinga villages. As of today, there are around 2,500 villages all over the Philippines and another 500 all over Indonesia, Cambodia and Papua New Guinea. •The second phase (2010 to 2017) focuses on the creation of enterprises for Gawad Kalinga communities through social business incubators, the first of which was the Gawad Kalinga Enchanted Farm in Angat, Bulacan. After the Enchanted Farm, 25 other incubators are expected to be put up in various Gawad Kalinga communities all over the country. •The third phase (2017 to 2024) focuses on the scaling up of small enterprises developed in the incubators. An excellent 364
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