3 New Vendors

New members have been added to our family. We are now selling The Jeepney at Intramuros, the walled city in Manila.

Hoping to better their lives, Sigfredo Jimenez, Baguindali Balina and Sandrex Sama came from Mindanao and moved to Manila to live with their relatives in a small community within the Intramuros walls. They are our first group of vendors who are from the Southern Philippines.

Jimenez, 45, came to Manila in January 2009 to look for work. He has been helping out at the barangay while his brother serves for the Captain of Brgy 658. He wanted to sell the magazine to have a better source of income.

Balina, 22, sold plastic bags and sacks in Divisoria, the bargain market in Manila, but the returns were not enough. He decided to sell The Jeepney instead.

Sama, also 22, came to Manila in March 2009 to train and work as a security guard. While waiting for his assignment, he wanted to sell the magazine.

The three men attended the training Wednesday and have been selling The Jeepney in Intramuros since Thursday.

Filed under: Updates on the Foundation, Vendor Training and Update

An Invitation to The 1st Homeless Football Festival in La Salle GH

Dear Friends,

Come and visit our football event, “The 1st Homeless Football Festival @ La Salle Green Hills” on April 25, Saturday, from 7:30am to 6:00pm.

If you decide to come, please be a sport and bring any good 2nd hand football item. That means slightly used stuff that can be raffled off, given, or used as prizes for our football parlor games or skills events. Bring a jersey, a ball, spikes, futsal shoes, socks, rubber shoes, shorts, jogging pants, shin guards, water bottles…anything that can be given out as prizes to our less fortunate footballers.

These parlor games will keep it fun for everyone. There will be between 700-800 kids on Saturday…so your donations will really, really matter. Bring as many items as you can and help us turn on everyone to the sport we love.

Football is for everyone and not just a selected few. Please show up if you can, even for a while, if only to cheer them on. See you Saturday, La Salle Green Hills.

“thru football bringing joy, hope and peace”
Ed

Filed under: Announcements

Update about the vendors’ meeting

(april 16, 2009)

Hi Jeepney friends,

The letter below is from Reah, our vendor manager and social worker.  It will give you an idea of the ownership our vendors are taking in their job, and the behind the scenes struggles it takes to reintegrate them into mainstream society.

Also we are adding a new staff member.  Martha Teodoro, a University of the Philippines journalism graduate has joined us as a managing editor.  Her Uncle Prof. Luis V. Teodoro is a former dean of the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication.

Martha’s addition will allow me the luxury of concentrating on what I really do not want to do, marketing and sales, but what is needed for the empowerment and success of the homeless people we are here to help. (:

Blessings,

Bill Shaw

* * *
Hi Everyone,
I conducted a vendors meeting for the core vendors this morning. This was to address some relationship problems, etc. I thought I would give you an update about it.

Seven attended, with one who is new (Teresa’s father, who started selling this afternoon at Ateneo/Katipunan). Emily was not able to attend cos she was in Cavite. There were a number of vendors’ friends who wanted to attend the meeting and be trained, but I had to say no at this point until we have more locations. I told them we will just conduct a separate training session for them in the near future.

I started with a brief devotion about the word of God on Ecclesiastes, reminding them that work is God’s gift for us to enjoy. I also touched on the verse that God has put eternity in man’s heart, so we know that one day we will face Him and give an account as how we lived our lives here.

I gave them the schedule of our next mall exhibit as follows:
Robinsons Metro East (Level 2 beside Information Booth) - April 22 to May 5, 2009
Trinoma (Level 2 near Geox) – May 18 to 30, 2009
Glorietta – tentative is May 1, 2009 hopefully for a month this time cos we lost the 15 day schedule for April.
We talked about selling. They shared how customers would react differently on them. Most would react positively and buy, or buy next time. But there were some who said negative things to them and about the organization, that the org is just using them for its own gain. This took much of our time. They know they should not believe those negative things but I had to explain to them how to answer when these things happen. They do answer by saying that they themselves are the proof that the org is really able to help them. But they also had to understand more about  the future plans of Urban for the vendors and for the org itself, where our money goes, etc.

We also talked more about how they could improve on selling, especially on ’suggestive selling’ without making the customer feel irritated.

They got reminded that in everything that they do and say during work hours and in work places, they need to think if this will be for the good of Jeepney’s name. In the end it is for the vendors’ benefit if Jeepney is ok. There were a number of fights/misunderstanding between them in the past. It was a relief that Emily and Mely are now talking to each other, and were able to work together during our last day at Eastwood. They did not talk to each other for a couple of months. Mely and Joseph also had a major problem which affected their work, but it was also a relief that we were able to sort it out.

They were suggesting for an outing/swimming, but I told them we might have to wait until we have the funds for it, or if someone would donate for it.

I see the need to have a regular meeting with the vendors, as a group or even one on one counseling/talk. I have been meeting with the vendors on a small group or one on one in my small house. But it is difficult cos we do not have a room. I am thankful that I am able to meet with them as a big group in my church bulding in Cubao, but I need to ask for permission every time. It would be great if we could have a small office or a place where they could go if they want to see or talk to me. Our free office in Valley Golf, with the kindness of Kid’s International Ministries, is a big help. But we need a place central for everyone, especially the vendors. Let us all pray that the Lord would provide for that place, or touch someone’s heart to donate a place.

Thanks so much for all your prayers and support.

Reah