Saemaul Undong Women’s Community Article

The Department of Saemaul Studies and Economic Development launched its new project, the Saemaul Undong Women’s Community at Barangay San Roque, San Pedro Laguna. This project was made possible through the help of DSSED student, Luke De Leon and family. Luke De Leon is a Saemaul Leadership Scholar who is now supporting the women’s community through giving them the opportunity to expand and secure sustainable income for their families by producing pastillas.

November 2016 marks the planning date for the establishment of the pastillas making business headed by Mrs. Mariel Estrada, which officially started on January 4, 2017. The pastillas business started off with just one producer, Mrs. Estrada, and currently has 15 members. Originally producing only 900 pieces of pastillas per week, it has now developed to a bigger scale of 45,000 pieces per week, in a span of 3 months and now distributes to big scale shipping lines and local stores with the help of Mr. Luke De Leon.

The Saemaul Undong Womens’ Community was inaugurated last April 19, 2017 at Barangay San Roque, San Pedro, Laguna. Together with the inauguration, the Department of Saemaul Studies and Economic Development hosted a workshop on Saemaul Undong and Cooperative Vision Work Talk to further give the SMU Womens’ Community a better grasp on the changes brought by Saemaul Undong and how they can make their source of income sustainable.

During the inauguration, the members were given a Saemaul Undong Passbook , where they can keep track and save money to plan for a better future with the help of Mr. Luke De Leon where part of their income automatically saved on the community’s bank account and this will also enable them to have an insurance that they can use in case of emergencies.

Their membership on the community signifies their strive for a better change in their lives which reflects the Saemaul Spirits, Self-help, Diligence and Cooperation.