Ten Photos to Shake the World National Photo Competition winners announced

 

Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST), an international non-profit organization based in the Philippines closed the 2nd Run of the Ten Photos to Shake the World Nationwide Photo Competition with an awarding ceremony last December 10, 2012 at the Ayala Museum.

Launched on August 6, 2012, the competition accepted entries until November 15, 2012, and eventually gathered 376 photographs.

Open to anyone who holds a Filipino citizenship, the photography contest looked for ten compelling photos to shake the world under the theme “Challenges and Triumphs in the Pursuit of Sustainable Development.” Photos showed any of the following themes: poverty, political crises, global recession, the changing climate (challenges), and people’s movements, innovations, development partnerships (triumphs).

Suzanne Nazal of ADB, Christopher Rollo of UNIDO, Nigel Ian Laxamana of Digital Photographer Philippines (DPP), Eduviges Huang of Federation of Philippine Photographers Foundation (FPPF) and Ana Liza Valencia of International Labour Organization (ILO) formed the pool of judges who selected the top photo entries.

The final 10 winners were chosen based on the following criteria: a) Substance, Impact and Creativity: 50% b) Composition, clarity and technical quality: 50%.

First Prize: Mr. Danilo Victoriano Jr. (Entry #47)

Second Prize: Mr. Nikki Sandino M. Victoriano (Entry #79)

Third Prize: Ms. Annelyn B. Lacson (Entry #98)

Fourth Prize: Mr. Joel C. Forte (Entry #109)

Fifth Prize: Mr. Carlo G. Zamora (Entry #187)

Sixth Prize: Mr. Jaime S. Singlador (Entry #42)

Seventh Prize: Mr. Ateneo Teni Santa Ines (Entry #197)

Eighth Prize: Mr. Victor Gamosa Ursabia (Entry #312)

Ninth Prize:  Mr. Robert John Cabagnot (Entry#250)

Tenth Prize: Mr. George V. Cabig (Entry #322)

The Ten Photos to Shake the World Competition is a project of ASSIST’s Social Initiatives Unit, in cooperation with TÜV Rheinland, Ayala Foundation, Globe, Calata Corporation, BPI Foundation, Asian Institute of Management, Nestle, Mondelez International, Bank of Commerce, Business World, Digital Photographer Philippines, and Federation of Philippine Photographers Foundation.#

Justice and Healing Project culmination event gathers advocates and duty-bearers

Justice and Healing, the two-year project supported by the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights Program (EIDHR) ended with a conference that gathered women’s rights advocates last November 28, 2012 at the Bayview Park Hotel in Ermita, Manila.

Women’s Feature Service Executive Director Ms. Olive Tripon presented the Project Overview followed by Women’s Crisis Center (WCC) Consultant Ms. Theresa Balayon who discussed the J&H Approach as a work in progress. Then, Women’s Legal Education, Advocacy, and Defense (WomenLEAD) Foundation Atty. Claire Angeline Pauig Luczon

Atty. Claire Luczon presented the experiences of Legal Practitioners in dealing with VAWC cases in courts. Meanwhile, Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST) was represented by Project Development Specialist Margaret Yarcia.

The event featured two forums, the first of which featured: Former RTC Judge: Atty. Adoracion P. Cruz- Avisado, Chairperson, Transformative Justice Institute; Lawyer: Atty. Minerva Quintela, OIC WomenLead Foundation; PO2 Abigail Rayala of Guinobatan, Albay; and Barangay Official: Ms. Josie Fallesgon, GAD Focal Person, Brgy. Sauyo, Quezon City.

Meanwhile, the second forum panel was composed of LGU partner: Ms. Lorna Mandin, Executive Director, Integrated Gender and Development Division of Davao City; Area Coordinator: Ms. Agnes Carlos – Butuan City; Paralegal: Ms. Vera Gesite – Municipal Arts and Culture Coordinator, Alburquerque, Bohol; Service provider:Ms. Marie June Castro, program officer, DAWN Foundation, Bacolod City; and NGO: Atty Arnold Abejaron, President of Men Opposed to Violence Everywhere (MOVE) Davao.

Mr. Margarito Raynera, Programme Officer from the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines then delivered closing remarks, through which he lauded the efforts of the Project Team and the participating organizations. For her part, musician Istarte Abraham presented a cultural performance.

The Justice and Healing project aims to strengthen components of the justice system to deliver rights-based and gender-sensitive services using the justice and healing perspective with respect to cases of VAW. #

 

ASSIST launches community health improvement project in Ho Chi Minh

Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST) Mekong officially kicked off the DEG-supported HEALTHY (Training Professionals to Improve Community Health) project through a launching ceremony held in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam last November 1, 2012.

Mr. Ante Franicevic, Project Director from METRO, officially introduced the project to all participants. Then Mr. Sreeni Narayanan, ASSIST Managing Director, discussed the project background and the benefits it will bring.

For his part, Mr. Dominik Goerts, Project Manager from METRO, presented the project details, including objectives, timeline for activities, methodology, and target groups. Finally, local expert, Dr. Tran Van Ky, explained the importance of food safety and hygiene management which is the main focus of HEALTHY project

The event provided participants a picture of the food safety and hygiene management situation in Vietnam.

For the next phase of the project, groups will be educated and enabled to practice proper hygiene initiatives to promote quality and efficiency, improve waste management, and propagate sustainable practices. #

Justice and Healing Project holds FGD at the Supreme Court

European Union-funded Justice and Healing Project held a focused group discussion with Supreme Court’s Committee on Gender Responsiveness last November 21, 2012.

The event was graced by Justice Teresita Leonardo-De Castro and 10 other committee members, as well as Atty. Dory Avisado of the Transformative Justice Institute.

Through the event, the Project Consortium sought the Committee’s commitment to help address the healing needs of victims of gender-based violence.

Project Implementers were led by Women’s Feature Service Executive Director Ms. Olive Tripon. Women’s Crisis Center was represented by Ms. Theresa Balayon, WomenLEAD Foundation by Attys. Claire Luczon and Minerva Quintela. ASSIST was represented by Project Development Specialist Margaret Yarcia.

Funded by the European Union under the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) programme, The Justice and Healing project, aims to strengthen components of the justice system to deliver rights-based and gender-sensitive services using the justice and healing perspective with respect to cases of VAW.

The Justice and Healing project is implemented by WFS together with its partners, Women’s Crisis Center (WCC), Women’s Legal Education, Advocacy, and Defense (WomenLEAD) Foundation, and the Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST).#

ASSIST, UL DQS and IGCC launch Auto Sustain PPP

Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation – ASSIST, UL DQS India and the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC) launched the Public Private Partnership Project Auto Sustain through a CEO Forum last October 30, 2012 at Park Sheraton, Chennai, India.

Co-funded by DEG, Auto Sustain aims to bring about a sustainable transformation in India’s automotive industry by helping the Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) from the automotive sector adopt sustainable practices.

The project launch was graced by top managers of various large and medium-sized enterprises including the CEO and Managing Director of UL DQS India, Dr. K. Murugan; Executive Director of ASSIST, Mr. S. Muralidharan; Director of ASSIST & Auditor at Social Accountability Accreditation Services (SAAS), Mr. D. K. S. Moorthy; and the Regional Director of IGCC, Mr. S. Raj.

Dr. K. Murugan, Managing Director and CEO at UL DQS India opened the event, and shared a brief on various PPP initiatives and projects implemented by UL DQS India and ASSIST in countries like India and Sri Lanka. Together, ASSIST and UL DQS India hope to build capacity across industrial sectors on practices supporting energy and resource efficiency through adoption of Energy Management Systems and implementation of Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production practices respectively.

Then, Mr. Biju Balendran, Vice President, Plant Engineering from Renault Nissan Automotive India Pvt Ltd highlighted the concept of Automotive Industry and Sustainability from an OEM Perspective in his keynote address that delved on the various measures adopted by Renault Nissan for resource optimization, energy conservation and reduction of GHG emissions.

For his part, Mr. Muralidharan shared his views on the current trends in the automotive industry of India and familiarized the guests with the activities that would be implemented during the course of the project. For example, project beneficiaries will be engaged in surveys to understand the current practices followed by the small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and in the technical training workshops to build local capacity on sustainable practices among the SMEs. Technical assistance on ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001, IQNet SR 10 and Global Reporting Initiative will be extended to the enterprises to enable them to align with Environmental, Health and Safety Management Systems.

Mr. D. K. S. Moorthy then discussed the importance of Sustainability Reporting and publishing of sustainability reports by enterprises to showcase the accountability of their actions and impacts on the society and environment.

Following an open forum during which company representatives shared ideas about balancing corporate accountability in the automotive sector while improving profits, Mr. S. Raj delivered the closing remarks.

The 18-month project will soon be launched in Bangalore and Pune to reach out to a larger group of beneficiaries from the major automobile manufacturing units. #

CONSERV holds 2nd Sharing Forum

CONSERV (Conservation of Environment Resources in Vietnam), a Public Private Partnership (PPP) Project implemented by Puma and the Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation – ASSIST held its second Sharing Forum last October 15, 2012.

The forum is a quarterly event conducted to encourage Puma suppliers to share their experiences while applying Cleaner Production techniques into their factories.

CONSERV invited guest speaker Kamesh Ganeson, Partnership and Network Management Director of ASSIST to discuss how to make an effective RECP plan and Internal Quality Audit.

Kamesh possesses 25 years of quality engineering and management experience. He has facilitated trainings in over 50 topics, which include Six Sigma Methodologies, Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), Environmental Management, Energy Management, 7QC tools, and has personally trained around 1,500 professionals in the last 15 years.

Two suppliers – Alliance One and Jia Hsin – presented their plans to the forum among 34 participants from total 19 suppliers. This was followed by an open discussion also featuring recommendations from Kamesh and Technical Consultant Mr. Dinh Manh Thang.

CONSERV is an initiative co-financed by German donor DEG and implemented by PUMA SE and ASSIST. It seeks to promote resource efficiency and waste management practices among Vietnam’s textile, garment and leather factories. The 17-month project will feature awareness-raising and capacity-building while contributing to sustainable development in the country.

Justice and Healing Project holds roundtable on violence against women

The Justice and Healing Project, an initiative co-implemented by  Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST), held a Round table Discussion on Justice and Healing for Victim-survivors of Gender-based Violence on October 30, 2012 (Tuesday, 8:00am – 10:30am) at the Ortigas Foundation Library, 2nd Floor Ortigas Building, Ortigas corner Meralco Avenues, Ortigas Center, Pasig City.

Led by Project Lead Women’s Feature Service through Executive Director Ms. Olive Tripon and NCR Project Coordinator Ms. Angelica Carballo, it was graced by Department of Social Welfare and development Haven for Children Center Head Ms. Evangelina Lawas, Philippine National Police Women and Children Protection Center and P. Supt. Theresa Cid.

The Discussion aims to give information on the different issues of Violence Against Women (VAW) and the Justice and Healing project. The organizers will also present the results of the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) from the post-barangay forum. It is also the final community activity of the Justice and Healing project, which will end on November. Through this, the project partners sought the support of the stakeholders to sustain the Justice and Healing approach in dealing with VAW cases.

Funded by the European Union under the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) programme, The Justice and Healing project, aims to strengthen components of the justice system to deliver rights-based and gender-sensitive services using the justice and healing perspective with respect to cases of VAW.

The Justice and Healing project is implemented by WFS together with its partners, Women’s Crisis Center (WCC), Women’s Legal Education, Advocacy, and Defense (WomenLEAD) Foundation, and the Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST).

Other attendees were local community leaders from barangay UP Campus and 172 of Malibay, Pasay, service providers from the government, non-government organizations (NGOs), law enforcers, media, and other other stakeholders on the issue of violence against women. Ms. Margaret Yarcia represented ASSIST. #

ASSIST team gathers for annual planning, tackles roadmap to 2015

The entire team of Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST) convened last October 3 to 5, 2012 at the ASSIST headquarters in Manila for the Annual Planning Meeting.

Highlights of the three-day event include the discussion of regional updates, workshops on ASSIST’s generic strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and talks from special guests Dr. Juergen Bischoff, Senior Advisor to GIZ, Dr. Stephan Kunz of AFOS Foundation for Entrepreneurial Development Cooperation, and PUMA Sustainability Project Manager Adam Brennan.

Managing Director Sreeni Narayanan welcomed all participants who came from ASSIST offices in India, Vietnam and the Philippines. They are: India-based Projects and Grants Management Director Sathappan and South Asia Director Platosen Samarasam, Philippines-based Finance Director Suganya Sreenivas, Partners and Network Management Director Kamesh Ganeson, Services Manager Matthias Wichmann, Social Enterprise Manager Olga Babina, Project Manager Sunil Narayanan, Communications and Visibility Associate Margaret Yarcia, and Vietnam staff Le Nguyen Hoang Long, Quynh Tran and Vy Truong.

Platosen was especially happy to report on the takeoff of EU projects in Nepal and Bhutan, while Mekong Director Aru David proudly announced the successes in forging Public-Private Partnership (PPP) deals.

Executive Director Murali, for his part, discussed the status of Blueprint 2012, while Project Manager Yatheender P.M. presented on  portal/magazine. Kamesh and Matthias also reported on their achievements: new contacts established and service contracts approved.

The team also tackled the roadmap to 2015, focusing on their vision of ASSIST as a more established NGO in Asia in terms of reach, funding, visibility, size, competency of people and partnerships. #

ASSIST kicks off UPSCALE Morocco with multi-stakeholder dialogues

Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Project UPscaling Sustainability, Competence and Leadership in Energy Excellence (UPSCALE Morocco), co-implemented by DQS UL and Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST) was launched with a series of multi-stakeholder dialogues last September 7 and 11 in Rabat, Morocco.

The initiative aims to promote energy efficiency among energy-intensive industries in Morocco. The project features awareness-raising among various stakeholders, policy dialogue, best practices sharing, development of energy consumption standards for energy-intensive industries, training programs on energy management, and creation of a local pool of energy efficiency champions through the introduction of certification programs.

Recognized as the fifth largest economy in Africa, Morocco is also the largest energy importer in North Africa, with 97% of energy supply coming from outside sources. Hence, the expected expansion of the economy would exacerbate the risks to the country’s energy security situation.

The event was attended by representatives of consultancy firms, enterprises, associations, public institutions and universities.

Special guests include Mr. Said Mouline, president of Sustainable Development Commission at the General Confederation of the Moroccan Companies (CGEM) and Director of ADEREE; Mr. Ryad Mezzour, Vice President of CGEM; Mrs. Hanan Hanzaz, Director of Morocco Cleaner Production Centre (CMPP) and Mr. Belgacem Raoudi, Director of DQS Morocco.

Mr. Ahmed Bouzid, Head of Energy Efficient Division, ADEREE talked about the current energy efficiency practices and scenario in the industrial sector while Energy Expert Mr. Abdellatif Touzani presented his views on ISO 50001 standard.

Mr. Bouzid talked about Morocco’s structured strategy for economic development especially related to energy efficiency. A detailed view of the project pilot initiative to introduce ISO 50001 Energy Management System to the industries in the country was then discussed by Mr. Manwah Ayassor, Project Manager at CMPP.

A partnership was signed between CMPP and the Association of Quality and Management (AQM). The event ended with a call for participants to share their views and expectations for the project.

Following the dialogues, awareness training sessions will be conducted focusing on energy efficiency standards and practices in three locations to build capacity of the SMEs.#

ASSIST Cleaner Production Project PROSPER Sri Lanka graduates new batch of trainers

PROmoting Sustainable Practices on Environment and Resource optimization (PROSPER) in Sri Lanka held another batch of training of trainer (ToT) workshop on cleaner production in Colombo, Sri Lanka last September 11 to 13, 2012.

Co-financed by DEG and UL DQS and implemented by UL DQS, Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST), and Sri Lanka NCPC, PROSPER Sri Lanka hopes to raise overall awareness on the need and means to implement Resource Efficient and Clean Production (RECP) methodologies and strategize transfer of knowledge through a series of trainings and capacity building initiatives.

The three-day training was led by Sri Lanka NCPC Deputy Director Samantha Kumarasena, and Director Sena Peiris, and was attended by members of the chemical, textile, and service industries.

Following the event, the project team is set of conduct two more ToTs, implement the training curricula, and distribute an e-toolkit among the SMEs.

ASSIST Project and Grants Management Director Sathappan Sathappan and PGM Associate Kruti Shah helped launch the activity.

ASSIST is an international non-profit organization focused on capacity-building. It seeks to promote sustainable practices to address social problems in the developing world, with focus on Asia and Africa. It takes pride in its process-oriented approach to capacity building towards social improvement and sustainable transformation. Its goal is to empower its target groups to make them resilient to the social, economic, and environmental challenges.