Leading fiber broadband and technology provider Converge ICT Solutions Inc. worked in partnership with Caritas Manila as it launched its Unang Yakap community at Baseco Compound in Tondo, Manila last August 28.
The project intends to provide sustainable healthcare and nutritional assistance to underprivileged pregnant and lactating moms, including their children, in one of Manila’s most densely populated and underserved areas.
Led by its President and Co-Founder Maria Grace Uy, Converge previously staged a silent auction for Caritas Manila’s Unang Yakap, with the support of its women leaders from the company’s women-to-women mentorship program ‘Grace Under Pressure: MentorSHE.’
The funds generated through the auction of their donated high-value items now help sustain the urgent health needs of the company’s selected Unang Yakap beneficiaries in Baseco.
“Good health and nutrition is essential for creating a stronger and more successful community. As an organization motivated to empower the country, we want to contribute in creating a solid foundation for the health of these mothers and their children, especially in the early stages of their lives,” said Uy.
“We are an active advocate of women’s empowerment as championed by our President and Co-Founder. Today, we extend this influence here in Baseco to help improve the lives of these mothers in need as they fulfill a significant role in their families and communities,” said Converge VP and Head of Corporate Communications and Public Relations Jay-Anne Encarnado.
The initiative with Caritas Manila is in line with the company’s commitment to creating positive community impact and is also a contribution to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2 and 3, which pertains to Zero Hunger, and Good Health and Wellbeing, respectively.
During the launch, several senior leaders and mentees of MentorSHE also lent their time and effort to prepare meals for the community’s feeding program.
“Having the 14 women be your sponsored beneficiaries, we are very happy and we didn’t expect that even your employees would do their part. It goes to show that Converge is doing much more on other aspects of community service,” said Caritas Manila Damayan Program Manager Gilda Garcia.
In addition to the feeding program, the recipients of the Unang Yakap community also received essential healthcare kits, as well as a short training on using social media as a potential source of livelihood.
Courtesy of Converge Surf2Sawa (S2S) partner JK2L2 Distributorship, the company facilitated a training for those who would like to earn extra income from home through the company’s prepaid fiber solution S2S.
The participants were also taught simple social media management and marketing, as well as tips to avoid online scams.
Caritas Manila, the socio-economic development and welfare arm of the Catholic Church in the Philippines, has been a partner of Converge since 2023 in conducting charity activities for the less fortunate.
