Forty-seven (47) mentees from Northern Mindanao join the recently launched Kapatid Mentor ME-Money Market Encounter (KMME-MME) Program of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Region 10.
The mentees, who are also entrepreneurs in the tourism sector, form the second batch of the program for the year.
In partnership with the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (PCE), KMME has been implemented since 2016 as a ten-module mentorship program that optimizes weekly face-to-face interactions between the mentors and the mentees with the key goal of boosting the entrepreneurial capacity through improved access to Mentorship, Money, and Market (i.e., the 3Ms).
With the COVID-19 pandemic upending lives and businesses all over the world, the KMME-MME Online developed as the practical delivery mechanism for the same mentorship modules to be used to propel micro and small enterprises (MSEs) to survive and thrive in spite of the unprecedented setbacks that now confront businesses of all types and sizes.
The KMME-MME Online is designed to integrate the MME into the regular KMME Program. This will be achieved through the presentation of the Business Improvement Plan (BIP) to an expanded panel of evaluators composed of representatives from banks, online market platforms, and other business support organizations. Coaching is added to the program to assist the mentees during the drafting of their BIPs, and improve their materials and presentation skills. Coaching is also envisioned to further develop their capacities in accessing capital and market. Thus, enabling them to pivot and prepare for the new normal.
DTI Undersecretary Blesila Lantayona welcomed the mentees during the official virtual launching and encouraged MSMES to avail loan assistance through COVID-19 Assistance to Restart Enterprises for Tourism Rehabilitation and Vitalization of Enterprises and Livelihood (CARES for TRAVEL) program lent by Small Business Corporation to pandemic-disrupted businesses.
“I am glad that the DTI-Region 10 made a focus to really look into the tourism sector by trying to make them (MSMEs) the priority for the second batch.” Lantayona said.
DTI-Region 10 Officer-in-Charge & Regional Director Ermedio Abang added that KMME-MME is one of DTI’s capacity building programs which was tweaked to make it implementable in the new normal.
“We [DTI] are pursuing KMME-MME because we are inspired by the improvements manifested by the mentees in their mindset, products, markets, and systems that enable them to cope with the new business environment and enhance their competitiveness.” Abang said.
Since it started in 2016, DTI-Region 10 launched 30 batches of the KMME program and has produced 666 graduates out of 698 mentees. ♦
Date of Release: 9 July 2021