MANILA – A notebook covered with ethically-sourced T’nalak. Soft scarves featuring intricate embroidery or weaving. Wild honey gathered from forests, complementing the soothing tea for a cough or cold. Custom Made Crafts Center (cmcrafts.org) or CMCC is a marketing arm of NTFP-EP Philippines that taps into the resources offered by indigenous groups by making marketable arts, crafts and food items out of non-timber forest products (NTFP).
A social enterprise supported by Globe Telecom (Globe), CMCC sells products made by indigenous groups, which have also been fashioned into fashionable accessories, decorative pillows, functional and beautiful baskets, bags or wallets, or passport covers—and even include intricate T’boli brasswork in their catalog. They also package other food products grown or gathered from the forest—which allows these aspiring micro-entrepreneurs to make a living from their surroundings, without it being detrimental to the environment.
Globe supports several community NTFP Enterprises in the Philippines—and the project is being implemented as part of a program funded by the European Union and HIVOS aimed at promoting sustainable consumption and production of naturally dyed hand-woven eco-textiles which is co-implemented by CMCC and the NTFP-EP Philippines. This project covers the Philippines and Indonesia and is aimed at reaching a total of about 7,000 beneficiaries in both countries.
Globe supports social enterprises with ICT tools, capacity building support, and market access. Through these resources and opportunities, they are able to not just sustain their businesses, but also scale them to heights that may not have been previously possible, such as marketing their products at upscale outlets in Manila and other cities abroad.
Other collaborators in the project apart from local government units include the Department of Trade and Industry, Philippine Textile Research Institute, Aklan State University, Pina Mantra, APFiPA, SAMANA, SALIKA, LABTDWA, Kalandang weavers, Sunflower Weavers, Pauhangan Weavers and Klowil Kem Libon.
As CMCC’s website says, they’re all about respecting traditions, promoting craftsmanship, conserving resources, and meeting needs. Creating a better road between indigenous artisans and those who can best appreciate and support their work—they’re making the journey to successful micro entrepreneurship a little less bumpy for everyone involved.
