Tag: coffee for peace
The Davao Regional Coffee Expo 2025 (DRCE 2025) has left me deeply moved—not only by the knowledge shared, but by the spirit of unity that flowed through every session, exhibit, and conversation. I witnessed farmers embrace new tools for climate resilience, women take their rightful place as leaders in the coffee value chain, and researchers bridge science with the lived realities of rural communities. What struck me most was how coffee became more than a crop; it became a story of culture, resilience, and collaboration. Listening to farmers, entrepreneurs, baristas, and academics share their hopes and innovations, I saw a vision of a future where coffee sustains both livelihood and community. For me, DRCE 2025 was not simply an event—it was a movement planting seeds of empowerment, sustainability, and peace, with ripples that will continue to transform lives across Davao and beyond.
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Permanent link to this article: https://waves.ca/2025/09/05/from-farm-to-future-the-transformative-impact-of-drce-2025-on-mindanaos-coffee-sector/
The National Social Entrepreneurship Conference (NSEC) 2025, held on 29-30 April 2025 at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, was a transformative gathering of over 500 changemakers—social entrepreneurs, government leaders, academics, grassroots advocates, and impact investors—committed to building a more just, inclusive, and sustainable future through social enterprise. It was spearheaded by four remarkable institutions—the Ateneo Center for Social Entrepreneurship (ACSEnt), the Institute for Social Entrepreneurship in Asia (ISEA), the University of the Philippines Institute for Small Scale Industries (UP ISSI), and the Poverty Reduction through Social Entrepreneurship (PReSEnt) Coalition. The conference highlighted both the urgency of our nation’s social and ecological challenges and the powerful role that over 164,000 social enterprises across the country are playing in response. With its theme, “Scaling Change: Advances of Social Enterprises in Poverty Reduction and Sustainable Development,” the event served not only as a platform for sharing solutions and innovations, but also as a celebration of resilience, collaboration, and our shared responsibility to center people, planet, and purpose in economic life.
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Permanent link to this article: https://waves.ca/2025/05/05/scaling-change-from-the-heart-my-reflections-on-the-national-entrepreneurship-conference-2025/
Over the past decade, significant efforts have been made to promote gender justice and economic empowerment in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), with Bangsamoro women playing a crucial role in peacebuilding and development. Oxfam and The Asia Foundation (TAF), supported by the Australian Government, have implemented programs that provide marginalized women with training, mentorship, and access to financial resources to help them thrive as entrepreneurs. These initiatives culminated in the Bangsamoro WEE Learning Exchange in 17-19 February 2025, which highlighted policy support, Islamic Finance, and inclusive growth strategies. As a panelist at this event, I shared insights from my work with Coffee for Peace and PeaceBuilders Community, reinforcing my belief in the transformative power of inclusive economic growth as a path to lasting peace in the region.
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Permanent link to this article: https://waves.ca/2025/02/20/building-peace-through-empowerment-the-role-of-bangsamoro-women/
22 January 2025. A pioneering agroforestry initiative is set to take root in the ancestral lands of the Bagobo-Tagabawa community in Barangay Binaton, at the foot of Mt. Apo. Spearheaded by PeaceBuilders Community, Inc. (PBCI), Coffee for Peace (CFP), and the Indigenous Ancestral Domain Association (IADA), this project seeks to rehabilitate deforested lands in the foothills of Mt. Apo while fostering sustainable livelihoods for indigenous farmers. The initiative will commence with a 2-hectare demonstration farm, serving as a model for best practices in agroforestry. This initial phase will allow farmers to refine cultivation techniques, integrate traditional ecological knowledge with modern scientific approaches, and assess the economic viability of the project before scaling up operations. The long-term goal of this initiative is to expand up to 32 hectares, contingent on funding availability. This ambitious expansion plan underscores the project’s commitment to widespread environmental restoration and economic empowerment.
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Permanent link to this article: https://waves.ca/2025/01/31/bagobo-tagabawa-farmers-and-pbci-cfp-team-launch-agro-forestry-project-in-mt-apo-together/
The staff and leaders of Coffee for Peace, Inc., along with Kapeyapaan Coffee Roasting Services, Malipayon Post-Harvest Processing Services, IncluDev Learning Initiatives, and Produce Peace+, gathered on December 15-16, 2024, for a Christmas celebration and year-end evaluation at a beach resort in Samal Island, Davao del Sur. The event featured lively parlor games, swimming, and team-building activities that emphasized trust, communication, and shared purpose. These activities fostered joy, camaraderie, and collaboration among the 35 participants. The gathering also included a reflective session where the group reviewed their accomplishments and challenges for 2024, exchanging insights to guide their work for 2025. Concluding with a shared meal and expressions of gratitude, the event celebrated the festive season while reaffirming the participants’ commitment to fostering peace and sustainable development through innovative solutions and community engagement.
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Permanent link to this article: https://waves.ca/2024/12/23/team-bonding-and-reflection-highlight-peace-hub-familys-holiday-celebration/
At PBCI, we join our peacebuilding colleagues in calling on the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to accelerate the full implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), with a particular focus on the Annex on Normalization, while ensuring inclusivity for marginalized groups such as women, youth, and Indigenous Peoples. Our call stresses the importance of unity among the Bangsamoro people, rejecting divisive initiatives, and urges a clearer process and understanding on Sulu’s historical and political relationship with BARMM. PBCI also emphasizes the need for prompt resolution of election-related petitions to avoid undermining self-determination and calls for strengthened protections for vulnerable communities and ancestral domains. Lastly, it appeals for collective solidarity to hold leaders accountable and advance peacebuilding efforts that promote justice and inclusivity.
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Permanent link to this article: https://waves.ca/2024/12/15/a-call-on-the-gph-and-the-milf-to-move-with-greater-urgency-in-completing-the-implementation-of-the-cab/
On the afternoon of 16 November 2024, the Malipayon Peace Hub in Managa, Bansalan, Davao del Sur, became the vibrant venue for PeaceBuilders Community, Inc.’s (PBCI) First Annual General Meeting. The hybrid event—combining onsite and online participation—brought together 42 attendees, including field volunteers from across the Philippines, from Canada, PBCI and Coffee for Peace (CFP) staff, partners, impact investors, friends, and online followers. This diverse gathering marked a milestone in the organization’s journey, fostering a collaborative spirit to shape its strategic direction. Joseph “Ka Boyet” Ongkiko, PBCI’s Executive Vice President for Institutional and Program Development, led the meeting with a balance of warmth and clarity, ensuring both onsite and online participants were fully engaged. The three-hour session was structured yet dynamic, creating space for individual reflection, group collaboration, and collective decision-making.
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Permanent link to this article: https://waves.ca/2024/11/29/jon-and-boyet-initiate-institutional-transition-process-at-peacebuilders-community/
