STUFFED TOYS. One of EDC’s partners in its BINHI-Flagship Species Initiative plush toy-making project, Karaw CraftVentures, shows the finished product. The stuffed toy-making project will be given to the provinces of Albay and Sorsogon for 10 barangays with expected 1200 beneficiaries. (Photo courtesy of EDC)
LEGAZPI CITY – The Energy Development Corporation (EDC) on Wednesday introduced stuffed animals to raise people’s awareness about the near-threatened Apo myna and the endangered golden-crowned Flying Fox.
Jolly Jamoralin, EDC Corporate Communications public relations lead, in an interview said the project also aims to provide a livelihood to community partners.
“The stuffed toy-making project will be given to the provinces of Albay and Sorsogon for 10 barangays with expected 1,200 beneficiaries,” Jamoralin said.
She added that the plush toys, named Diwa (for the Apo myna) and Kali ( for the golden-crowned Flying Fox), are packed in a printed cloth bag that contains an information card about the species.
“EDC funded the project, will handle the marketing and promotions of the products, and help sustain the project while the Karaw CraftVentures led the design and product development, and provided one-on-one training to the communities,” Jamoralin said.
Eduardo Jimenez, EDC Bacman Corporate Relations department head, said in his message during the launching that “this initiative aims to increase awareness and appreciation about wildlife conservation and educate its stakeholders about the wonders of nature.”
He added that the project helps in empowering communities by engaging them in conservation activities and enhancing their management and business skills through the plush toys social enterprise project.
People can support the community by securing a Flying Fox for only PHP800 and an Apo Myna for PHP700 by messaging EDC BINHI’s Facebook page @edcbinhi or send an email to [email protected].
