ITALIAN FOR FAIRYTALE, FAVOLA’S T-SHIRTS ARE HELPING OUT-OFSCHOOL YOUTHS FACE THE WORLD WITH A BRIGHTER FUTURE. JENNILYN Q SALVADOR EXPLORES. PHOTOGRAPHY BY EDSEL OCHOA
In the picturesque city of Taguaytay there are people proving that fairy tales really do happen. Pag-asa Social Center Foundation Inc is the non-profit institution behind Favola Shirts. "A charit project that started with the desire to help rebuild the lives of the poor, especially out-of-school youth in Tagaytay, says" German director Frank Schmelzer.
Born from the Focolare Movement, a Catholic lay project with a small project called Support-at-a-distance program. It worked by soliciting the help of donors abroad to give educational, basic medical and nutritional assistance to poor children and their families.
The Idea for Favola first took root when a German friend of Schmelzer visited Pag-asa center in 2004 when it was operating purely as neighborhood drop-in centre for local children. The friend asked if the centre could make some t-shirts for a project he was doing back home, so Schmelzer found a local person who knew how to print in silkscreen and began to train some of the kids. The first order was successfully shipped to Germany.
"We continued to print," says Scmelzer. "From the beginning our designed t-shirts that promoted tourism in Tagaytay, then we started designing ones that promoted other places in the area. Now we have more than 50 different Fillipino designs and produce an average of around 1,500 shirts a month." The t-shirts have taken on a funky edge and tarsier, turning them into stylized symbols.
"We get orders from different institutions and friends here and abroad for designs that are custom-made or existing," says Shumelzer, "and we sell an average of 200 shirts per month in our store in Tagaytay. We also have other outlets in Batangas and Bohol."
As the business progressed, it was given the name Favola Shirts to hightlight what the project was trying to do. To take disadvantage youth off the street and give them a skill and an income, Schmelzer started to encourage older kids and out-of-school youths to come and work for Favola and get paid. Their vital energy and different way of looking at the world help to make the t-shirt designs even more interesting. Concepts range from colorful and animated, such as the picture of the pineapples, houses and leaves to depict "Tagaytay, City of Character"; to the quirky and distinct such as the ‘Stark ohne gewalt’ t-shirt, taken from a Gernan slogan from a youth movement fighting violence. They conceptualize, so designs tend to reflext individual personalities and their unique take on life as they see it.
After the designs have been made, the staff also get involved with the production, including color selection and painting of the t-shirts. As the team is small, when there are bulk orders long hours are the order of the day, a work-hard play-hard dictate that results in t-shirts made with patience, camaraderie and pride.
"Every proceed goes straight to the youth working for Favola and the constituents of Pag-asa Social Center," says Schemlzer. Since the centre started, as well as Favola’s t-shirt business, it has developed to take on more projects. At the present there are 550 families in need in Tagaytay involved in various initiatives. Apart from the original day-care center there’s now a playgroup, a library and computer learning center and even a dental and medical clinic with the latest equipment and volunteer dentist.
The beneficiaries of Favola and those who work there, are selected by the Pag-asa staff. As it’s a livelihood program aimed at helping out-of-school-youth, there are clear criteria for those who apply for jobs. Favola offers support, a source of income (some of the young staff support themselves and their families), and also helps find sponsors so young people can continue their education.
The salary is 30 pesos per hour and staff work seven hours a day, from Monday to Friday. Henry Angeles, freelance graphic designer for Favola, says: “Here they are able to learn a livelihood, and skills which they can use when they are on their own. The project comes from a very wonderful mission to help them and their families.”
As you’d expect in a community project of this nature, there’s a warm and welcoming atmosphere. As Angeles puts it: “We make them feel part of a big family. Usually the guys stay with us for about a year, until we can find a sponsor, so they can start college. We’ve done that for four of them now.”
“I am just one of the many volunteers who give their talents and efforts free of charge to help Pag-asa Social Centre and Favola,” says Schmelzer. “Actor and TV personality Hero Angeles is the ambassador for our mission, which gave us our slogan, ‘Wear Favola and be a Hero’. He promotes Favola in different TV shows, newspapers and we are thankful that he is helping us.” He is also the right age and has the right cool yet wholesome image to appeal to both our staff and the people who might buy t-shirts.
“My main task is the communication and contact with more than 800 sponsors, donors and friends worldwide,” Schmelzer explains.
“Being with Favola is a hard but fulfilling experience. Basically, you spend much time sourcing the right color paint, the best t-shirts, arranging advertising and so on, but the bottom-line is to help those people working in Favola to make their ends meet for their education and families.” Favola Shirts is a dream come true for these young adults. Through its livelihood project they can address their financial concerns, but more importantly it teaches them transferrable skills. Its values and the end goal? It’s a good education.
HOW MUCH DO THEY COST?
The t-shirts vary from PHP200 to 300 pesos (for Favola’s original designs) to custom-made ones starting from PHP160 depending on the design and quality
STAFF AT A GLANCE
Gerry Wowie Villalon
Gerry started working at Pag-asa in 2005 as an encoder in the carpentry shop. Now 28, he heads the production of Favola Shirts, and mentors new staff. “I’ve experienced working in other places too, and it’s hard to explain why I keep returning here. It just seems like I gained a wider perspective on things when I started working for Favola.”
James Natanauan
James, 20, began working at Favola in May 2007. He started in production, dabbling in a lot of aspects involved in shirt printing, from using a blower to allow the paints to dry all the way to color selection. “I just hope this project can help more people continue their education.” His love for cars prompts his desire to major in automotives as soon as the opportunity presents itself.
Jerry Javier
Jerry, also 20, began working at Favola almost a year ago. Like James, he had the chance to learn skills in the production shop. “This is really a learning experience for me, because every day teaches me a lot of things.” He hopes to turn this opportunity into the chance to study information technology at university, “I’m into IT, so I’d like to dwell on that if given the chance.”
FAVOLA STORE OUTLETS
Favola store: Cornerstone Building, Calamba Road corner, Ligaya Drive, Tagaytay City 4120 Tel: (046) 860-2605 www.favolashirts.com
■ Mini-Market – Focolare Compound: “Blue House”, Calamba Road, Brgy. Iruhin 4120 Tagaytay City Tel: 0921-8219531
■ Balai Isabel: Barangay Banga, Talisay, Batangas Tel: (043) 728-0307; mobile: 0922-8552995 / 0920-7668848
■ Bohol Products Showroom & Display Center: Mansasa Seaside, Tagbilaran City 6300, Bohol Tel: (038) 411-3883 Branches at: Albuquerque Python Sanctuary, Loboc Tarsier Pedboy, Carmen Chocolate Hills Complex
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