Faith and Charity

Padre Burgos, Quezon—When the Yakap at Halik Multipurpose Cooperative Quezon 2 was founded in 2008, its mandate was clear: to empower its members and enhance their quality of life. 

More than a decade later, the cooperative thrives with diverse enterprises and services such as microfinance, coconut trading, aquaculture, consumer stores, and a hardware shop. Members enjoy employment prospects, access to lending and savings facilities, and the provision of tools and technologies from cooperative’s development partners. 

Despite its success, Yakap at Halik aspires to extend its reach further by assisting non-members. Plans include establishing education and medical services facilities, demonstrating commitment to a broader community.

With these objectives, a new organization emerged: the Yakap at Halik NGO, Inc.   

The birth of Yakap at Halik NGO

According to Yakap at Halik Coop General Manager Armel Amparo, the high poverty in their target communities has motivated them to establish an NGO dedicated to addressing essential social services. 

“After securing the sustainability of our cooperative, we saw the potential of creating a foundation that aligns with our vision of building a hospital and a school for our community,” he stated. 

In 2023, the NGO began the accreditation process with relevant government agencies. Concurrently, they conducted outreach activities such as distributing gifts to persons with disabilities and senior citizens, organizing feeding programs, and providing food packs to students in Padre Burgos. 

Institution building support

To strengthen their organization and initiatives, Yakap at Halik NGO sought support from the Peace and Equity Foundation and conducted a strategic planning workshop for their members. 

The workshop, held on April 4 and 5, 2024, included revisiting their vision, mission, and core values and crafting an action plan for their projects. 

“We will closely monitor the action plans they formulated and help them obtain accreditation from the Philippine Council for NGO Certification,“ stated PEF Area Officer Carmela Anne Nequinto. 

As they continue working to achieve their goals, the Yakap at Halik NGO actively collaborates with local government units, agencies, and other development institutions. It aims to forge partnerships for more outreach activities and resource pooling to fuel their future programs. 

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