Citi Foundation’s McHale visits Bayan Academy’s CMD

MANILA, Philippines - Citi Foundation’s chief operating officer Brandee McHale was in the Philippines recently to visit Bayan Academy’s Citi Microenterprise Development Center (CMDC) where she came to witness a Small Business Advisory and Coaching Services (SBACS) session and a Grassroots Entrepreneurship and Management (GEM) Program lecture. It was her first time in the Philippines and she was excited to impart some words of wisdom to a group of beneficiaries who are now creating a difference in their communities by becoming competent and successful entrepreneurs.

On the same occasion, Dr. Eduardo Morato, chairman of Bayan Academy, together with Raul Manikan, president, also formally unveiled the CMDC’s website, which can be accessed at www.bayanacademy.org/cmdc. The website contains various online mentoring programs which will extend the classroom experience and will become an interactive venue for students and mentors to exchange ideas and solve problems.

The CMDC is a partnership endeavor of Bayan Academy and Citi Foundation. It seeks to address various issues by providing a venue where entrepreneurial Filipinos can learn management and receive constant mentorship and advice from professionals. The center, located at Bayan Academy in Quezon City, has so far trained a total of 310 microentrepreneurs engaged in a wide array of industries, from trading to manufacturing; from retailing to servicing.

On a global scale, Citi Foundation is committed to economic empowerment and to help create vibrant communities. It believes in providing a hand up instead of a handout and this program is in line with its goal of designing sustainable ways of lending assistance.