Philippines

The Philippines is an archipelago composed of 7,107 islands with a surface area of nearly 300,000 km². Its geographical location makes it a country particularly prone to natural disasters, mainly typhoons and earthquakes.

With 124 million inhabitants, it is one of the most populated countries in the world. A diaspora of several million Filipinos working abroad is an important source of income for the country, sending money to relatives back home. The constant growth of the population remains an important issue, and explains why the Philippine population is very young.

Philippines: difficult access to energy

As in many countries in the region, there is great inequality among the population and between the country’s provinces. This inequality can be illustrated, for example, by access to energy. While the rate of access to electricity is 98 per cent in the cities, it is only 41 per cent in the most remote areas. This lack of reliable and economical energy worsens the living conditions of poor rural populations and makes it difficult to develop income-generating activities. So, to light up, work and reduce the feeling of insecurity, some people use candles, kerosene lamps, car batteries or generators. Others illegally connect to the meter of a luckier neighbor. But these plan Bs are insufficient, very expensive and very dangerous.

Entrepreneurs du Monde in the Philippines

Entrepreneurs du Monde created SEED in the Philippines, a social microfinance institution that supports small traders and craftsmen in Manila and the surrounding provinces (Cavite and Rizal), which is now autonomous.

Entrepreneurs du Monde also created the ATE CO energy access program in 2015.

Finally, Entrepreneurs du Monde supported the development of SCPI, a microfinance organization located in the province of Northern Samar (in the central-eastern Philippines), a particularly poor and vulnerable rural region, especially during the typhoon season. The program is now autonomous.