Another person with disability (PWD) has proven once again that determination and hardwork can go a long way.

 

Entrepreneur  Rannie D. Gimeno has successfully graduated from the Department of Trade and Industry’s Kapatid Mentor ME Program this month. He is part of the latest batch of micro entrepreneurs who completed the 10-module mentoring program.

 

Gimeno, co-owner of the renowned Violie’s Snack Inn in Digos City Public Market, is someone who embodies a person defying odds just to achieve his goals in life.

 

“Rannie Gimeno is a source of inspiration among entrepreneurs and PWDs alike,” DTI Davao del Sur provincial director Delia M. Ayano said.

 

His store, which has existed for 20 years already, has been known for their puto maya (native rice cake) and sikwate (dark chocolate drink).

 

Gimeno is one of the 19 graduates of DTI-Davao del Sur’s Kapatid Mentor ME Batch 2018. These entrepreneur-graduates have a thing in common: to develop their businesses in different functional areas. Together, they received coaching and mentoring interventions from industry experts for 10 to 12 weeks. They were molded on several areas, including entrepreneurial mindsetting, marketing, accounting, taxation, business law, human resource management, and supply and value chain.

 

The program also includes the mentees’ preparation and presentation of their respective business improvement plan (BIP), as a requisite to their graduation.

 

Talking about how the program helped him, Gimeno said, “It helped us, business owners, a lot in terms of decision-making, especially with the record-keeping, production and operations.”

 

Being a leader of the PWD sector for more than 25 years, one of Gimeno’s advocacy is to promote PWD entrepreneurship and encourage his fellow PWDs to engage in productive activities like entrepreneurship.

 

Meanwhile, Ayano noted that
“His graduation from the Kapatid Mentor ME Program is a testimony of DTI’s goals for inclusive growth, which seeks to provide prosperity for all and ensures that no one is left behind.”

 

Gimeno joins the roster of other PWD graduates of the Kapatid Mentor ME Program in Davao Region, including Alicia Fabiana of the Association of Differently Abled Persons (ADAP) and Allan Rasman of Mindanao Association of Muslims with Disability (MAMDI).

 

DTI remains committed in providing economic opportunities for PWDs through livelihood, seminars and trainings.DTI11♦