CESO | SACO: Sharing a Lifetime of Experience

The President of the Philippines was among those who recognized CESO’s work in 2009, when we celebrated awards for both our National and International work:

CESO's Aboriginal Women for Tomorrow Program Recognized for Excellence in Learning

For CESO’s work in Aboriginal communities, the Canadian Council on Learning, a non-profit that promotes research about education, recognized CESO’s Aboriginal Women for Tomorrow (AWFT) program. The award is called Sharing the Flame: Recognizing Excellence in Learning and it “highlights some of Canada’s most promising practices in learning—giving these initiatives the visibility they deserve, and helping others to learn from their success.” The AWFT program includes workshops for Aboriginal women in Canada about job searches, communications and financial management.

And in November, Canada’s House of Commons celebrated the successes of 14 remarkable Aboriginal Canadians, including a CESO client who won a National Aboriginal Achievement Award. “For the past 15 years, Ellen Melcosky has operated her business Little Miss Chief on the Westbank First Nation, sharing her smoked salmon products with the world,” noted the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation. Her 100-percent, Aboriginal-owned business has created employment for everyone from fisherfolk to artists, turning her business acumen into an acclaimed success story. CESO volunteers have worked with her for more than 10 years.

For CESO’s international work, the president of the Philippines, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, awarded Presidential Citations for:

1. Beekeeping: One of CESO’s client, St. Louis University-Extension Institute for Small-Scale Industries Foundation, received the citation for its contribution to the beekeeping industry in the Cordillera region of the Philippines. “We trained over 160 beekeepers during those six weeks,” said CESO volunteer Don Couture. “When we went to Segada, known as the Mountain Province, a very remote region, I was greeted as the first professional person ever to come and help the local people.” Couture provided training in beekeeping practices, honey processing, and adding value to honey products. The beekeepers hope to increase family incomes after this. “CESO has helped lay the foundation for the future of a whole new industry,” Couture said.
2. Electronic governance (e-gov) program: Two municipalities (Talavera and Aliaga, in Nueva Ecija) received citations for best practices in business-permit processing, a CESO project by Volunteer Adviser (VA) Gus Ribeiro. Also, the municipality of Carmona, Cavite, assisted by CESO volunteer Leslie Strike, received praise for implementation of its e-gov project.
3. Lighthouse Cooperative received the award for Outstanding Medium Enterprise after VA Soren Sondergaard helped them to start a number of systems, including one to raise meat-processing techniques to international standards. VAs Mark Smith and Barbara Schejbal also helped – with advice about financial management and marketing.
   

At the 16th Annual Awards for International Cooperation sponsored by CIDA and the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, CESO was awarded the COWATER/CRC SOGEMA for the Philippines Bilateral Project 2003-2008 (Building Private Sector Capacity Project). This award recognizes excellence in capacity building of small and medium-sized enterprises in developing countries and countries in transition.