The miracle that is Gawad Kalinga has touched thousands of hearts all over the Philippines as well as in many places of the globe. But the miracle becomes rather magical when the generous response comes from giant corporations. After reading the two letters, can we ever again say that big business is heartless?
Dear Fellow P&G Employees,
Several months ago, Melo Villaroman (CBD Director for Metro/Makro) led a group of Singaporeans to come to Manila to build 16 low-cost houses for the squatters in Baseco, Tondo, in partnership with Gawad Kalinga. He then introduced me to
this organization via a visit to our office by the founder, Executive Director Tony Meloto (who happens to be a P&G alumnus, as he worked in our Purchases Department from 1971 to 1977). I was extremely impressed by the work that they
have done, and by the vision that they plan to accomplish.They cater exclusively to the lowest segment of our population, the lower E squatters. They have already built about 10,000 houses, and they plan to build 700,000 houses in 7,000 communities in the Philippines in 7 years (the GK 777 Vision).
I found their work impressive because they were not only building free houses, but also building communities and uplifting the lives of the poor. Each recipient family qualifies to get a house by donating P50,000 worth of time and effort to build their neighbor's house (priced at P300 per person per day of work). Because they truly earned their house, they are able to receive them with dignity and pride.More importantly, for the men in the squatter areas who normally did not have the skills to land a job, the process of building the GK houses actually developed construction skills in them, so that after a while they were able to find jobs. GK also required each family to attend 14 seminars (including value formation, personal hygiene, community development, etc.).
And this has produced dramatic results. In the Baseco Compound, prior to Gawad Kalinga, there were 28 unsolved murder cases and hundreds of petty crimes. After Gawad Kalinga took over, the crime rate has reduced to 0%!!!
As you may have heard, just a couple of weeks ago, the AAI LT, led by Chip Bergh, came to Manila to build 16 houses at the Baseco Compound. This was not funded by the Company, but by the personal donation of each and every AAI LT member. We were shocked by the conditions of the squatters we saw, and we were really glad we were able to help. Each AAI LT member was touched and enriched by this experience. Quoting from Chip, he said that there is a very fine line between the "have's and the have not's". We have been blessed we belong to
the side of the "have's", and this puts on us the responsibility to help our brothers and sisters in the other side of the line, the "have not's". (I am attaching Chip's letter to give you further perspective.)
(See attached file: Chip Bergh letter to GK.doc)
In the Gawad Kalinga project, each cluster consists of 16 houses and 3 clusters constitute a village (48 houses). With the 16 houses that the AAI LT has built, we only have to build another 32 houses to form a village and call it the P&G Village".
I'd like to appeal to your generosity to donate at least a day of your salary to the Charity Fund of Employees of Procter & Gamble (CFEP). This fund will, in turn, donate the money to Gawad Kalinga to build the houses. Please sign up your pledge in the attached form to commit yourself. The salary deduction
will be spread over 3 months, so that you will not feel the "pain".
(See attached file: EMPLOYEE DONATION PLEDGE FORM.doc)
In addition to your donation, we will also be committing a significant portion of the Company's funds to match the employees' donation and support Gawad Kalinga, since the "have not's" need all the help that they can get.
Thank you in advance for your support. I really appreciate it.
Sincerely Yours,
Johnip G. Cua
Dear Tony,
I just wanted to again thank you and your entire organization for making my Leadership Team's visit to Baseco such a terrific experience. Everyone was moved by the experience and the opportunity to "help out" in some small way to the work which you are doing in Baseco, and around the Philippines.
I was very impressed with Gawad Kalinga. Your vision is aspirational and I believe with your leadership it will happen (7/7/7). And, what I like most about GK is that the concept is sustainable and "self-sufficient." It's not a charity — it is giving people hope, but asking them to work hard to achieve something better, which I believe is part of the key to your success Each homeowner has a lot of "skin in the game" with their own sweat equity before they get their own house. And, the courses and seminars which the homeowners must attend will contribute to each village and community being a safe, healthy environment.
I realized the day we were there that there is a very fine line between the have's" and the "have not's." The families we were working with were, in so many ways, just like us — they have hopes, dreams, desires and aspirations both for themselves and for their children. They want their children to
have a better life and to be able to grow out of the poverty that they are now living in. I realized that those of us that are lucky to be on the have" side of that very fine line have a responsibility to help those on the other side of the line — by giving back to the community some of our wealth and some of our sweat, so that they can have the opportunity to pull themselves out of the poverty that they live in today. Without hope, life is hard. What you are doing, what GK is doing, is you are giving people hope.
At P&G, we talk a lot about the importance of being "In touch”—with consumers, with external stakeholders, with our communities. Our experience spending the day in Baseco was very much an "in touch" experience for each one of us, and I'm sure will be a memory for each of us for some time to come.
As I said last week, there is no question that God is at work in Baseco. I was proud to be able to give and to spend time there; and I do plan to come back. Thank you again — you have inspired all of us. And, I wish you all of the best moving forward.
Sincerely,
Chip Bergh
President
Procter & Gamble Asia Pte Ltd
