Read more about the experiences of Human Nature employees at our Volunteer Program!

Read more about the experiences of Human Nature employees at our Volunteer Program!

It began with utang na loob.

After counting their numerous blessings, Human Nature’s own Warehouse staff felt compelled to pay forward the service and aid they received from Gawad Kalinga. Since joining the Human Nature family, many of their lives improved – but these former GK leaders found that their employment left them with less time to spend serving their own communities. They were longing to serve their communities in some way! And so, the Human Nature Volunteer Activity was born.

As a response to their Warehouse staff’s desire to extend their service, Human Nature decided to give them a chance to render volunteer service to their communities for a minimum of 8 hours a month. Now, they are given one day off every other week, 4 hours of which they can spend serving their GK villages. And even on the days they spend serving their community, staff members continue to receive their daily wage - so the blessing is doubled!

In October 2012, the Volunteer Activity expanded to include all Human Nature employees to help them understand the value of empowering our people and Human Nature’s Pro-Poor philosophy. Through their monthly volunteer work, these employees address the concrete needs of GK villages while interacting with them as equals – providing a human face to the very people that Human Nature’s profits help empower.

And so in the middle of their hectic work schedules and tight deadlines, handfuls of Human Nature volunteers willingly took some time off of their work day to head over to their chosen communities: GK Payatas Trese, GK Enchanted Farm, and GK NTC Village.

 

GK Payatas Trese

Among the activities that our GK Patayas Trese volunteers participated in were painting their community center, silk-screening Trese's trademark Less For Self t-shirts, and - the most enjoyable activity of all - braiding Trese headbands that not only look good, but truly exude a patriotic spirit! As Regine Gil, Human Nature’s marketing intern, recalls, "Learning how to make the headbands was enjoyable. Out of the three activities it was perhaps the sole activity wherein we could literally sit down and bond with the people in Payatas."

Through their work, our Human Nature volunteers were granted the opportunity to experience first-hand the effort and meticulous process that goes into creating these social enterprise products from a grassroots level. But the day didn’t only benefit our employees, but the community as well! "I think spending time with the community could be a huge boost for them," Regine explains. "The very fact that they know that we're spending time with them could make them feel more loved or appreciated."

While their experience was evidently fruitful, our HN Payatas group believes that there’s still so much to be done. “The time was really quick,” Naw Paguidopon, Multimedia Artist, recalls. “I believe that I could have made a greater impact on the people in the community if only I was able to share my personal stories with them and vice versa.”

 

GK Enchanted Farm

While our Trese crew was crafting away, Human Nature's PR Manager, Reby Baldoz, made the drive out to the GK Enchanted Farm in Angat, Bulacan to spend an entire day with the kids of the community. Her bustling day involved loads of fun games and storytelling - the simple joys that allowed kids to just be kids!

"The kids were all so warm, welcoming and just super fun to be with!" Reby recalls, "Being around them made me feel like a kid too! It was just a simple game of “Bugtong-Bugtong” but the laughter, glee and smiles on their faces – those were enough to make my day. The drive out there was worth it." A big part of Reby's role also involved incorporating values formation into her storytelling in order to promote a more holistic experience for the kids.

Despite its brevity, the Enchanted Farm volunteer experience was memorable for all. "I’d definitely want to see them again and volunteer more of my time next time," Reby shares. "Like I said, I super enjoyed myself and time away from the city. Doing this activity, sharing my time and stories with them (and the little goodies of snacks and candies), was super refreshing! It’s really fulfilling making others happy and putting a smile on their faces."

 

GK NTC Village

While some of our employees flew solo, others decided to volunteer as a big group - the more, the merrier! So when a group of 12 Human Nature employees from our Social Enterprise Development (SED), finance, marketing, and supply chain departments volunteered at the GK-NTC Village and its Paraisong Pambata area, their experience proved that more hands make for even better work!

The day consisted of a variety of tasks including shoveling away debris to build a canal for drainage and painting the interior walls of houses. All that construction work (phew!) was followed by a grand salo-salo where employees and community members were able to converse and get to know each other on a more personal level. The kids of the community were in for a real treat after lunch, when our employees brought out a variety of books for storytelling!

"I felt that in my small way, by bringing stories to them and reading with them, I helped open their hearts to the world of possibilities out there," Darlene Ramos from marketing mused. "I believe that building homes means more than building physical houses for families, but also building their children's imaginations, strengthening their hope that they have the power to change the world, that great endings in storybooks do happen in real life and can happen in their own lives."

 

Paying the Goodness Forward

So what was the best part of the Human Nature Volunteer Activity? The fact that from both ends of the spectrum, Human Nature employees and their partner communities were able to engage each other in solidarity and bond over activities that brought about growth for all. As Jong Noriel from SED explains, "No matter how stressful or challenging the day (or your life) is, there will always be others that are experiencing worse. And you are in the position to help them because you were given the opportunity to do so. Do not let that problem hinder you from helping others. You’ll realize that the mountain you’ve been climbing is just a grain of sand for others."

Because there is no such thing as spreading too much goodness and hope, Human Nature continues to be fueled by the desire to empower our communities. Just a few weeks ago, we launched our Social Enterprise product category with the intention of helping our partner social enterprises scale up successfully. Now, Human Nature employees can choose to volunteer to spend one day a month with these social enterprises and help them with production planning, web design, marketing, accounting, and actually producing their products. With enough manpower and passion, these social enterprise can scale up and pay the goodness forward by empowering entire communities in their fight against poverty.

As Human Nature continues to grow as a social enterprise, so shall our commitment to empower our communities grow stronger. And from the level of the employee, the time and effort that each individual takes to share in Human Nature's advocacy is markedly multiplied.

As Jong puts it, "The mere presence and interaction of a volunteer is already an impact to a community. Even with my experience in other communities, they are already happy knowing that there are people willing to spend time with them, build with them and interact with them. It somehow uplifts their dignity and spirits."

 

Do you want to do your part in paying the goodness forward? Volunteer at Gawad Kalinga today and share in the bayanihan spirit!