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When I met with Salcedo parents in May 2010, we were packed in a 2 classroom building fanning ourselves ceaselessly. The drought was so bad this summer that Capelco (Capiz Electric Co.) was dishing black-outs twice a day everyday (at least for the three weeks I was there). There were over 100 parents in the room sitting elbow to elbow, some standing in the back and spilling out of the large room. Despite the movement stifling heat, their ears perked and their necks stretched up at the mention of the feeding program. As soon as I finished my explanation of the program, several hands shot up to ask questions to which I responded:
"Yes, one of the requirements is developing a vegetable garden in the school and in your own homes."
"No 'hilo' (ilonggo for poison) or synthetic chemicals in the planting. Organic is what we want to buy from you."
"What can ARK do for Salcedo?... Help you help yourself!"
There was a buzz in the room as parents started whispering and considering changing their priorities from infrastructure repair (top of the list previously) to feeding program. At the end of the meeting, Principal Marcelo handed me a recently circulated volunteer sheet for kitchen operations. She said, "Ye, we've filled out two months of volunteers. How many months must we give you?"
I was awestruck. It is this drive for betterment, community spirit and openness for partnership that continuously inspires us at ARK and results in truly wonderful things.... like a school vegetable garden!
As soon as the rain came, Salcedo parents organized themselves. Some parents volunteered for the garden while most volunteered 2 or 3x for kitchen duty in a 3 month period. Fathers and mothers were fairly represented in the kitchen operations volunteer sheet. The parents selected a lead chef who would organize each day's volunteers and set the menu; and a team leader who would manage the program. Parents also brought seeds and compost from their homes; and those on duty developed the school's gardens. The parents created three plots: one that is 20 x 44 sq meters, and two that are 7 x 42 sq meters in size. In these plots, they planted, among other things, squash, patola (sponge gourd), alogbate (malabar spinach, my favorite vegetable!), kamote tops (sweet potato leaves), okra, malunggay (a medicinal powerhouse plant), upo (white squash), pepper, eggplant, saluyot (jute leaves), string beans, papaya, ginger, tanglad (lemongrass), labog (have to ask Maam Salcedo about this), kadyos (my favorite bean), and kangkong.
Once done, parents focused their attention on planting rice and other staples in their respective farms and left the maintenance of the gardens to the older students. The 5th graders divided themselves in groups of 4, and the responsibility to water and maintain the gardens. Of course, none of these things could have been done without the leadership and persistence of Maam Salcedo, who spearheaded and coordinated the efforts of the PTA president, local village officials and ARK.
To everyone at Salcedo - thank you very much for your time and hard work and congratulations on a fantastic vegetable garden! It is because of your passion that the produce tastes so good. According to Maam Salcedo, word of food got attendance up, students love the vegetables and there is not one scrap of leftover everyday of the inaugural week! I am so excited, so proud and so looking forward to stopping by and sharing a mouth-watering and nutritious lunch with the students soon.
Ayesha
November 29, 2010
For over two decades, Analisa Balares has been committed to women’s leadership development, entrepreneurship, innovation, sustainable development, and education. She has produced, directed, and co-produced over 100 conferences, summits, events, and media on these themes, with 12 of these conferences and forums through Womensphere.
In the summer of 2007, Analisa founded Womensphere, a unique global leadership community and independent media company that inspires, empowers, connects, and unites women leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, policymakers, scientists, artists, explorers, and women who are creating development and pioneering new trails across all fields and disciplines. In the last three years, as the US and global economies went through crises and upheaval, Analisa and the leadership of the Womensphere Team brought together a community of over 11,000 women leaders, building one of the most powerful new platforms for emerging women leaders, and for women leaders across all fields.
Prior to Womensphere, Analisa launched her career in the Goldman Sachs High Technology Investment Banking group, where she helped execute over $1.5 billion in IPOs, corporate financings, and mergers and acquisitions for companies like open source software leader Red Hat and communications leader Nokia. Her professional experience includes working for Milestone Capital Management, Morgan Stanley’s Energy Investment Banking Group, the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, and the Japan External Trade Organization.
Analisa holds an MBA from Harvard Business School; a BA in Economics & Mathematics cum laude from Mount Holyoke College; and an International Baccalaureate Diploma from Lester Pearson United World College of the Pacific in Canada. While at Harvard Business School, Analisa founded and co-led the non-profit Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN), and served as a President of the HBS Entrepreneurship Club, and Debate Coach/Team Co-Captain of the HBS Debate Team.
Following business school, Analisa joined Microsoft as Global Marketing Manager for Microsoft’s blogging and social networking service, where she managed the global marketing launch of Windows Live Spaces in over 30 countries, and led the strategy and execution of Spaces projects around branding, partnerships, events, and online community development. She managed Spaces’ internal partnerships with MSN Entertainment and XBox, and external partnerships with NGOs (Global Fund for Women, Earth Day Network), media companies (ABC, Sundance Channel), and independent music/film/TV festivals (SXSW, MethodFest Film Festival, New York TV Festival).
A global citizen, Analisa’s lifework and inspiration to have impact emerged early: In her teens, she led a team of students pioneering innovative work on wastewater pollution treatment, recycling, and alternative energy production, efforts which won recognition and the Philippine Shell Petroleum Company‘s Outstanding Junior Scientist Award for three consecutive years. She was elected Senate President of the 1st Philippine Youth Environment Congress, where she led drafting the Philippine Youth Environment and Sustainable Development Policy Proposal for the UN Earth Summit in Brazil. That year, she was elected Youth Mayor of Manila City, where she led the passing of 18 Executive Orders into laws to improve the community, education, and environment of Manila. As a Canadian Government scholar to the Lester Pearson United World College in British Columbia, she gave voice to the importance of children’s rights while on the Steering Committee of Canada’s First International Conference on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child held in Vancouver.
In 1999, Analisa founded The Lyons Network, a leadership and career mentoring organization for young women, and for a decade, Analisa co-led the organization of regional conferences on leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurship for young women in New England, reaching several thousand young women in the last decade.
Analisa was recently selected as Fearless Woman of the Year 2010 by The Fearless Factor in New York City. Analisa was chosen by the New Leaders Council as one of its 40 Under 40 New Leaders in the United States, and recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential Filipinas in America by the US Filipina Women’s Network. Analisa was also recognized by CBS Radio/1010Wins as its Tomorrow’s Newsmaker Award Winner for Business.
