Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation (NWTF) celebrates another year to effect positive change in the communities.
“It has been 37 remarkable years, and we are extremely delighted to have been able to instill hope, inspire hearts, and influence change to the thousands of women, families, and communities determined to improve their lives,” said Suzzette Gaston, NWTF Executive Director.
For Gaston, she considers NWTF’s 37 years a purposeful journey of building vibrant “dungganon” and sustainable communities.
NWTF, for its 37th founding anniversary, wants to have a meaningful and impactful celebration enjoining everyone in the NWTF-Dungganon family.
NWTF’s commitment to the environment
NWTF is known for being changemakers and trailblazers for community development, but not many people know that the organization is also a passionate advocate for environmental conservation.
NWTF formed partnerships with local government units, agencies, and private organizations to implement various environmental projects, including clean-up drives, tree planting & growing programs, renewable energy usage, and public fora on environmental awareness.
This year the organization launched environmental initiatives, namely; the 37,000 Trees: Punong Handog Para sa Inang Kalikasan Project and Pledge iCARE campaign – environmental efforts that NWTF believes will be able to create a ripple effect and somehow inspire everyone to take immediate actions in caring for the environment.
Around 1000 mangrove seedlings will be planted on August 9, 2021, in Brgy. Sampinit, Bago City to kick-off the year-long commitment to planting 37,000 trees; NWTF’s Project Dungganon branches across the Philippines will conduct similar activities throughout the anniversary year.
To further strengthen environmental consciousness, NWTF will also launch a month-long internal environmental campaign called Pledge iCARE (I Care and Am Responsible for the Environment); a movement that pledges support to conscious deeds for the environment in the forms of recycling, reducing the use of plastics, repurposing, etc., in the workplace.
“We have to start by doing something if we really want people to make efforts in caring for the environment. These are just a few ways we think we can help develop an environmentally inclined and responsible mindset,” said Raymond Serios, NWTF Assistant Director for Administration and Strategic Projects.
Serios added that NWTF is mindful of the limitations and restrictions in certain areas, which is why tree growing activities will be limited to small groups and in accordance with implemented safety protocols under each Local Government Unit’s jurisdiction.
NWTF’s commitment to the whole Dungganon Family
Every year NWTF recognizes members of its family for their contribution and loyalty to the organization during its Anniversary program.
Since the pandemic started, the service awards ceremony is done via a live broadcast through an internal social media platform, the Workplace by Facebook.
In the same program, inspirational messages and video tributes will be shown live as well as the awarding for the first organization-wide Dungganon Voice Champion.
“We will also be launching our 2021 organizational video to show a glimpse of what we do as an organization. This is also to remind everyone in our NWTF-Dungganon family of the reason why we are still here,” said Gaston.
Gaston believes that sometimes all we need is to have a constant reminder of our purpose to keep us focused on the mission.
It is also with this thought that the organization will have a series of posts on all our social media platforms featuring some of our inspiring colleagues who, like everyone else in the organization, have dedicated their time and effort to the causes of the organization; Dungganon flashbacks will also be posted for the whole month of August to commemorate the breakthroughs of NWTF throughout the past 37 years.
NWTF also finds discussing mental health timely and relevant because it has become a growing concern worldwide.
“As part of our NWTF Cares program, we will be holding a Hear from the Experts Webinar on Mental Health: Pandemic Fatigue, knowing signs of distress and learning how to address them,” said Serios.
He adds, “We want to take a proactive approach and make the necessary steps to take care of our staff’s mental well-being. The organization wanted to ensure that everyone is well-equipped in braving life’s uncertainties including assisting our clients and their families.”
NWTF’s commitment to serving families and communities remains to be one of its strongest assets.
Now, NWTF has over 3,000 employees serving more than 500,000 clients—a feat befitting of the word “Dungganon” or Honorable, which the organization is commonly known for.
30
