ASSIST meets up with partners in Indonesia

ASSIST Networks and Services Manager Matthias Wichmann and Group Associate Miriam Ruth Yap-Gabon met with partners in Indonesia: Holcim, DB Schenker, IMPRIMA and TUV NORD.

PRO-FIT initiative holds Training of Trainers

Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST) initiative PRO-FIT (Promoting Food Industry Competitiveness Training Program) conducted a training of trainers last July 30 to August 24, 2012 at the University of the Philippines Institute for Small-Scale Industries in Quezon City.

Co-financed by Sequa and BMZ, PRO-FIT is implemented by ASSIST, AFOS Foundation for Entrepreneurial Development Cooperation (AFOS), TUV Rheinland and UP Institute for Small Scale Industries (UP ISSI) that will run for 2 years. It aims to train practitioners on a variety of qualification options on food safety and sanitation practices at the UP ISSI.

Covered in the ToT are five qualification courses: Certified Quality Associate, Basics of Food Safety & Hygiene, Certification Programme on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Certified Food Safety Professional, and Diploma in Food Safety Management.

The training was led by speakers Engr. Leoncio T. Cubillas, Jr. (Chairperson, TEEDD, UP ISSI), Prof. Nestor O. Raneses (Director, UP ISSI), and Mr. Israel S. Baleta (Program Manager, HAVI Logistics Philippines, Inc.).

Meanwhile, the Project Team was represented by Tristan Loveres (Chief Operating Officer, TUVR), Pinky Zamora-Villacrusis (Sales and Marketing Manager, TUVR), Alexander Go (Business Development Officer, TUVR), and Miriam Ruth Yap-Gabon (Group Associate, ASSIST).

Said qualification courses will be taught in UP ISSI for a pilot run. All participants will receive certificates or diplomas upon successful completion of the courses.#

SAFE Cambodia ends with a Best Practice Forum

The Structured Program to Achieve Food Safety Excellence in Cambodia (SAFE Cambodia)  initiative culminated with a Best Practice Forum held August 3, 2012 in Phnom Penh.

SAFE Cambodia is a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) initiative implemented by Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST) along with TUV Rheinland and DEG. It seeks to instill mass awareness on international food safety and cleanliness standards amongst local SMEs operating in the agriculture and fishery industry. The target SMEs were introduced to the international supply chain model, the expectations of international buyers and the importance of improving the safety, hygiene and resource efficiency practices to protect the health of the local community and boost exports of agriculture and fishery products.

Through the forum, the Project Team hoped to gather lessons learned by pilot factories during the in-house technical assistance phase of the initiative.

TUV Rheinland Cambodia CEO Alexandra Herbel welcomed the participants, while ASSIST Project Manager Vy Truong presented a Project Overview and a quick report on the deliverables. Then, Yea Bunna of the National Productivity Center of Cambodia discussed the current situation of food safety in the country, and the challenges it faces in implementing the standards. Three best-performing pilot companies were also selected to share their experiences: The Fair Manufacturing Company (FMC), Men Sarun and Phnom Meas Association.

Finally, Project Consultant Odette Mangaban facilitated the open discussion among SMEs and provided advice on the implementation of food safety standards, especially how to keep the good practices after the project completion. In the afternoon, the Project Team arranged a tour for all participants to witness the FMC and Men Sarun on-site improvements in their factories, taking into account the project recommendations.

Thirty (30) SMEs from the food industry were represented in the event.#

2nd Ten Photos to Shake the World opens today!

Happy Monday morning everyone! 🙂 We are accepting entries to the 2nd Ten Photos to Shake the World National Photo Competition starting today until September 13, 2012. This year’s theme is: Challenges and Triumphs in the Pursuit of Sustainable Development. Visit and ‘like’ the TPSW Page to know more!

ASSIST partners with TechSoup Asia for Design Thinking Session

Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST) is proud to have hosted a design thinking session in cooperation with TechSoup Asia last August 1 to 2, at the ASSIST Conference Room.

Dubbed ‘Inspiration and Innovation – Infinite Possibilities when we join hands’, the session was launched to facilitate a brainstorming activity on ASSIST Social Initiatives.

The two-day activity featured design, prototyping and planning challenges for select ASSIST initiatives. Techsoup Asia was represented by Mr. Glenn Fajardo, a member of the global team working on international partnership and program development.

TechSoup Asia is a collaborative venture between TechSoup Global and its Partner Network, including Connecting Up in Australia and the Hong Kong Council of Social Services. We are delivering technology and other capacity development resources to NGO’s and civil society organizations in the Asia Pacific region.#