Ayala Foundation recently partnered with the Australia-based organization Melbourne Microfinance Initiative (MMI), as part of its continuing effort to ensure that its programs achieve measurable results and make an impact in the lives of the communities it serves.
MMI will develop an evaluative social return on investment (SROI) report on Ayala Foundation’s Sari-Saring Aralan, particularly its pilot implementation in Tondo, Manila, in 2018–2019. Sari-Saring Aralan is a community project that encourages the youth to pursue one of three pathways—education, employment, or entrepreneurship. It uses the sari-sari store (community corner store) as the hub of learning activities. The SROI report on Sari-Saring Aralan will help Ayala Foundation develop ways to expand and improve the project.
MMI will also help Ayala Foundation through entrepreneurship education for its partner communities, including the youth leaders that comprise its Leadership Communities or LeadCom program. LeadCom empowers young leaders to become change agents in their respective communities through the implementation of projects that address specific local concerns and priorities.
The partnership between Ayala Foundation and MMI kicked off in May and will run until October 2020.
As the social development arm of the Ayala group of companies, Ayala Foundation envisions communities where people are creative, productive, self-reliant, and proud to be Filipino. Ayala Foundation is committed to community development, working closely with communities in identifying compelling developmental needs and providing suitable solutions with measurable outcomes. Its main program areas are Education, Community Leadership, Suitable and Sustainable Livelihood, and Arts and Culture.
Founded in 2010, MMI is the first and largest Australian student-run microfinance organization providing consulting services to microfinance institutions (MFIs) globally with a vision of having a direct impact on communities in need. To know more about MMI, visit their official website. (https://www.melbournemicrofinance.com/)