Sewing to help save lives: BPI Foundation provides masks to RITM front liners and livelihood to poor community

BPI Foundation, the social development arm of the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), recently supplied 1,000 cloth masks to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) front liners, and at the same time provided livelihood to Habi Lifestyle and its community of seamstresses from Payatas.

To help address critical health needs, BPI Foundation tapped one of its BPI Sinag alumni, Habi Lifestyle, a social enterprise that provides opportunity for individuals to make responsible, conscious, and positive choices through its 100% Filipino-made, environment-friendly, and sustainable accessories like cloth masks.

“RITM front liners go to work for us amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It is our intention to help keep them safe by equipping them with hand-woven cloth masks from a social enterprise that provides livelihood for marginalized communities in Payatas. We are committed to help out in any possible way -- whether we help provide livelihood for the poor or help our medical heroes flatten the curve,” said BPI Foundation Executive Director Owen Cammayo.

Expressing her gratitude for supporting their artisans, Janine Chiong, Co-Founder & CEO of Habi Lifestyle, said, “We are grateful to BPI Foundation for the continuous support for our enterprise. This donation project for RITM has provided us an additional means to earn despite the lockdown.”

Myleen Manantan, a member of the Habi Eco Weavers Livelihood Association of Payatas, said it was a blessing for them to continue working amid the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine: “We consider this opportunity given by Habi and BPI Foundation as a valuable gift for us. They are helping us to survive the crisis.”

“It was a huge help for us, especially during this difficult period, to provide for the daily needs of our families. We’re inspired to stay strong knowing that there are partners like them who care and cheer for us,” said another seamstress, Alice Ramento.

BPI Sinag is the flagship program of BPI Foundation that supports social enterprises, or businesses creating products and services that aim to make a social impact in a sustainable manner, targeting the triple bottom-line of people, planet, and profit. Now on its sixth year, the program targets to build a stronger ecosystem by empowering its social entrepreneurs and their communities.