Sustainability begins with listening

In order to support the economic development of its members, PATAMABA launched the Purple Market initiative in 2020. Much more than just a physical and online market, Purple Market is a space for marketing, training and networking that enables women entrepreneurs to develop their skills, promote their products and exchange ideas with other women facing similar circumstances. The products on offer are made by home-based workers and small-scale women entrepreneurs from different regions of the Philippines, showcasing local craftsmanship whilst promoting their economic independence. The range includes a variety of food products, such as peanut butter, chilli-garlic paste and artisanal vinegar, as well as everyday items such as laundry bags, denim bags and household products.

These women entrepreneurs operate in an environment where resources are sometimes limited, but where solidarity, mutual support and the ability to adapt are genuine drivers of resilience and development. 

Rethinking sustainability based on local realities

As I met with people within the organisation, several questions kept cropping up in my thoughts: how can we talk about sustainability without imposing an external perspective? How can we support an organisation’s growth without changing what already makes it strong? How can we develop long-term strategic tools without losing sight of the values and identity that are the organisation’s strength? 

And that’s what changed the course of my term in office.  

Rather than providing the answers for the organisation, I simply took the time to listen to their experiences and build the sustainability plan around these conversations. As part of this process, I had the pleasure of leading and facilitating a workshop with the Purple Market team and members. 

IInitially, the aim was to discuss sustainable development. However, the discussions quickly moved beyond environmental issues. The participants spoke about their day-to-day lives, the challenges they face, but also their ambitions: to provide a better quality of life for their families, to develop their skills, to increase their financial independence and to pass on their expertise to future generations. 

By working together on management tools tailored to their context, I realised that sustainability is not built on a one-size-fits-all model, but in collaboration with the people involved. This approach led to the development of a sustainability plan, tailored to the realities of Purple Market, to support the organisation in its planning, monitoring of actions and long-term development vision. Thie led to the creation of the sustainabilty plan guide. This approach enabled the Purple Market team to reflect collectively on its priorities, to formulate a shared vision for long-term development, and to equip itself with tools to better plan, monitor and evaluate its actions. This guide aims to strengthen Purple Market’s strategic environmental capacity by providing tools to assess and improve the environmental sustainability of its products. It also helps strengthen the organization’s strategic socio-economic capacity by supporting the diversification of its revenue streams and the implementation of sustainable practices that ensure the long-term viability of its initiatives.

Communities as agents of change

This experience has enabled me to see cooperation as a genuine process of mutual learning, in which each person contributes their expertise, learns from others and helps to develop solutions rooted in local realities.

I am now continuing my work in the Philippines with a renewed conviction: communities already have the answers. By recognising their expertise and working alongside them, it becomes possible to develop relevant, sustainable solutions that are rooted in their reality. 

The most lasting changes often begin with a relationship, with listening attentively and recognising those who are already at the heart of the change.  

Pursuing a sustainable and collective approach

The development of the sustainability plan represents an important first step for Purple Market in shaping its long-term vision and strengthening the long-term viability of its initiatives. Beyond the document itself, this plan will serve as a roadmap to guide the organisation’s decisions, support the development of new initiatives and ensure that its growth remains aligned with its mission of economic empowerment for women.

Over the coming months, the Purple Market team will use the sustainability plan as a management tool to prioritise its actions, monitor progress and guide the development of new initiatives. This approach will enable the organisation to gradually consolidate its organisational capacities whilst maintaining an approach centred on the needs of its members.

Through this joint initiative, Purple Market continues to act as a catalyst for women’s economic empowerment, strengthening their ability to develop sustainable income-generating activities, increase their financial independence and play an active role in creating a more inclusive and solidarity-based economy. This experience illustrates CECI’s approach to voluntary cooperation: focusing on mutual learning and capacity-building for partner organisations so that they can pursue their own development priorities in a sustainable manner.