My focus here in Philippines has shifted: earlier in my trip I visited CCT’s programs and saw their ministry firsthand. Now the emphasis is on leadership training. I am here with leaders and board members of Christian development ministries from around the world. We have moved out of downtown Manila and are now in Tagaytay, which is about 50 miles outside of town. It is a beautiful setting. CCT has a retreat center here where they host visitors and bring staff members for all sorts of training.
On my trip to the Philippines, I was privileged to visit microfinance client meetings with HOPE’s partner CCT. Microfinance is CCT’s largest ministry, and senior leaders refer to it as the “backbone” or “platform” on which their other outreach programs reside. We visited groups in a poor section of Manila near the national prison. Our first meeting was with “Fellowship Group 23,” a group of 19 women (joined by two kids, a cat, and a rooster), all dressed in red shirts to show solidarity with one another.
While interviewing Ka-Tiwala (“trust-fellows,” or savings group members) clients and spending time with savings staff in the Philippines, these are some of the most encouraging things I’ve heard.
Becky Svendsen
Nov 16 2012
By Becky Svendsen
Photos / Media Staff / Travels
With approximately 12 million residents, the Filipino capital of Manila is one of the world’s most populous cities. Sanitation and overcrowding are major issues, especially in slum communities.
At 15, Mabelle is one of the leaders of her savings and credit association in Tagaytay. She plans to use her savings for school supplies and clothes.
Becky Svendsen
Nov 15 2012
Becky Svendsen
Staff / Travels Stories we love
The staff of CCT, HOPE’s partner in the Philippines, value savings and seek holistic transformation for families and communities so enthusiastically that they have pioneered a new twist on the HOPE savings model: savings groups for children. CCT savings facilitators have initiated groups for teens, elementary students, and even preschoolers. The idea took shape when mothers requested that their children join groups so they could learn the discipline of saving from a young age, which, like most habits, becomes easier and more permanent.
We spent the morning at the Cabrera branch in Manila, seeing CCT’s many ministries in action. CCT’s strategic emphasis is to build a broad set of programs and services on the foundation of their microfinance branch network. CCT has 145 branches across the Philippines, providing a great backbone for broadening their ministry. The Cabrera community center is a great example of this transformation:
