The Office of Extension and Community Outreach in cooperation with the Committee on Social Orientation and Community Involvement (SOCI) in Manila Campus and Committee on Extension and Community Outreach (CECO) in Caloocan Campus envisions to deliver technical, entrepreneurial, computer literacy, industrial arts, supplementary feeding program, dental health, literacy and communication services to the adopted barangays, marginalized sectors of the society and nearby communities in collaboration with the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), People’s Organizations (POs), Government Agencies, Civil Society and other institutions.

KABALIKAT SA KABUHAYAN: UE’S SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY LIVELIHOOD PROJECTS

         Responding to the University of the East’s core principles towards the advancement of social responsibility through highly visible extension and community outreach programs, the Office of Extension and Community Outreach (OECO) in partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment-National Capital Region (DOLE-NCR) launched the “Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan (KSK): UE’s Sustainable Community Livelihood Project.” Its main objectives centered on empowerment, self-reliance, social equity, and stability.

               Twenty-two indigent residents from UE’s two adopted communities were awarded with seed money to help them start up their own small businesses since their chance of employment is very slim. In order to enhance their skills in handling business and finances, UE community worker-volunteers spearheaded a series of intensive seminars, trainings and workshops.

               Today, their respective small businesses are continuously operating and served as their main source of daily living. The success of KSK will be replicated to other indigent communities in hope to further expand our services to the marginalized sectors of the society.

UE’S COMMUNITY EXTENSION OUTREACH EFFORTS

Realizing education institutions’ three pronged thrusts – instruction, research and extension/outreach, former University of the East (UE) President Josefina R. Cortes created the Office of Community Outreach in 1995 alongside its alumni affairs concerns. Since then, UE has initiated several community extension and outreach projects, initially, by adopting communities in its neighborhood, both in the Manila and Caloocan campuses, namely: Barangays 401, 402, 403 (the latter became non existent when squatters shanties in the area were demolished late 90’s) and Zone 41 in Sampaloc, Manila; and Barangay 3, Zone 1, District 1 in Caloocan City.

Additional communities were added when the office was renamed Office of Extension and Community Outreach (UE-OECO) in 2006. These are: in Manila, the V. Mapa, Don Antonio Maceda and C. M. Recto High Schools (focused on training outreach and book donations), and the Arrocerros Eco-Park. Outside Manila, the new communities adopted were Maricaban, Pasay City, Bagbaguin, Valenzuela City, Barangay Ayala, Magalang, Pampanga and the Iram Aetas Resettlement Community in New Cabalan, Subic, Olongapo. UE also supports the Gawad Kalinga projects in Paradise Heights, Tondo, Manila and Tatalon, Quezon City.

UE’s outreach programs cover livelihood, literacy, environmental protection and enhancement, proper nutrition, medical-dental care, cleanliness and beautification, solid waste segregation scheme and disposal management and infrastructure development.

These outreach programs were implemented successfully through seminars, special teaching sessions, information drives, hands-on trainings, civic work, child-feeding, cleanliness & beautification, street-sweeping, plant-box and pavement painting, pave-stone installation, tree planting and civil engineering.

Civic work, through the distribution of relief goods to the calamity victims, was carried out through the UE Oplan Damayan, in cooperation with the Philippine Airlines Foundation. Donations in kind poured in, as the UE community responded to the call. Several anonymous cash donors also participated in the UE Oplan Damayan.

The spirit of volunteerism in the University complemented UE’s community outreach programs and was demonstrated during the UE Oplan Damayan where UE Volunteers assisted in the packing and hauling of relief goods.

UE’s socio-economic driven outreach projects, focused on addressing the plight of the impoverished and less fortunate Filipinos, implemented livelihood programs, such as, accessory making, candy making, candle making perfume making, meat processing and hair culture.

In accordance with UE’s extension and outreach mission of improving the quality of life of the marginalized, the unemployed/underemployed, the out-of-school youths and adults, UE is committed to provide opportunities for acquiring vocational-technical skills to those unable to acquire formal education, to ensure that they become efficient, productive and competitive for continuing employability.

The UE-OECO is the lead unit in the UE that coordinates the implementation of UE extension and outreach projects in cooperation with the various UE colleges and offices and the UE Volunteers, comprised by UE officers, faculty members, personnel and students.

UE-OECO is mandated to formulate, implement and coordinate UE extension and outreach programs. Vital to implementation is the assessment of whether the projects are doable or feasible, thus ocular inspection, assessment and survey of the target recipient communities, including, consultation with their community leaders are imperative.

To improve operational efficiency, UE-OECO organizes capability building and team building seminars/trainings to develop/improve UE Volunteers’ proficiency and to enhance teamwork among them.

The success of the UE community outreach program is a labor of many years of astute planning, close monitoring, assessment, complete documentation, coupled with UE’s high values; plus the commitment, capability/technical expertise of its officers and staff, especially those involved in extension and outreach; resources integration, UE volunteerism and the cooperation of its target communities. This collective effort and cooperation among its various stakeholders make the UE extension and outreach programs uncomplicated and sustainable.

UE acknowledges the support and efforts of its partner institutions: the Philippine National Red Cross, Child Haus, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Metrobank Foundation, Manila Doctors Hospital, Department of Labor and Employment, Manila City Mayor’s Office and various Local Government Units, as major factors in the success of UE’s extension and outreach programs.

As part of UE’s outreach thrusts, the UE-OECO, through its Director, Roger Espiritu shared UE’s community outreach projects’ “best practices” to the participants of the 1st National Philippine Education Deans Association, Inc. (PEDA) Conference held on July 7 at the Escaler Hall, Ateneo de Manila University. He says community outreach program sustainability is a major concern. Thus, aside from an effective development plan, collective efforts and cooperation among stakeholders must be in place to ensure sustainability of outreach programs.

CONTACT DETAILS

Office of Extension and Community Outreach

✆ Trunkline: 8735-54-71 loc 379
✆ Direct Line : (632) 8734-66-67

✉  Email Address:

🕑 Mon. – Fri. 8:00A.M. – 5:00P.M.

Location:
Ground floor, Administration Bldg.

For more info, visit UE
NSTP/OECO

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