Philippines: determination and passion as drivers for change

Edna

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Their craftmanship started from their elderly and was passed on from generation to generation.

They lived in Bicol Region at the highland part of Guinobatan, Albay. Ms. Edna, during her younger years, watched her family doing handicrafts made from different indigenous materials available in their town. Gifted with pure talent and skills, she learned the process and trade secrets of making crafts, she began working in her family business and also honed her craftsmanship by accepting job orders from other suppliers.  She enjoyed these things with her siblings and offered native products to tourist and visitor of their town.

There came a time that she could not continue making crafts This was when she got married and had children, and she became so busy taking good care of her own family. Her husband, who was a farmer, also wanted her to give full attention to their growing children. After her chores were done, she would bring out her sketch pad and start doodling designs, so that eventually she created her own version of abaca angels and other abaca product lines.

In 1991 she started designing nativity set for Christmas which were made of abaca scrunch, sinamay, twigs and other materials made from abaca fiber.  She focused on making angels after she met with Intervida, a non-partisan, non-denominational and independent Spanish development NGO. This organization helped her, they sent her to seminars and trainings, they also coordinated with other groups who organized trade fairs. Intervida was able to invite those producers they were helping to join these events for free and with meal allowances. This gave way to more opportunities. From 2006 to 2009 she became active in joining trade fairs. She also joined cooperatives like the MAHAPA in Mauraro, Guinobatan to gain more experience and knowledge to run her own business, to learn first-hand the strategies of handling business finances through this organizations.

In 2009 her husband died, and becoming widowed with 6 children she needed to be stronger, as she had to raise them on her own. She then realized that her gift of handicraft making could help her support her children. She started securing her own Business Name, registering to DTI when the turn of events favored her and her family. In October 10, 2010 at 6pm at Kasanggayahan Festival, as she fondly tells the story to me, remembering every detail of how she met Mr. Loui Babia, the designer of Saffy, who bought samples from her. Loui interviewed her and showed interest in her abaca angels and other crafts that she could offer, so he introduced SAFRUDI and Saffy to her. She was then very happy, she was so confident that her designs and products would be patronized by Saffy’s buyers. She was right. From February to March of the following year 2011, she began the partnership of Velasco handicrafts and Saffy.

At present 13 families benefit from the orders placed by WFTO Buyers through Saffy to Velasco Handicrafts. The mothers of these families are the workers of Edna Velasco, she has also imparted her skills to her workers by teaching them basic angel making, understanding its raw materials and the importance of it to their lives.  Ms. Edna is also active in the activities conducted by Saffy and committed in the practice of Fair Trading. This way, she could also play a big role in the improvement of the lives of her workers. She wanted them to grow alongside with her in meeting their shared goals. Aside from Saffy, Edna is also supplying to different buyers whom she met in Trade Fairs that she is attending.  Aside from handicraft, she also operates a small local transportation business in her town. Through these, she was able to send her children to school and some of them already graduated from college and are now helping her in the finances of the family.