Selling quality fashion jewellery at a fair price is only part of the Diamond Rose business philosophy.

Diamond Rose customers make a difference to the developing world by helping provide livelihoods to people and communities displaced from their homes by a major hydro-electric project.

In the Philippines we support people and communities affected by a major hydroelectric project.

The hydro project is located nearly 200 kilometers north of Metro Manilla. The dam has a storage capacity of nearly 1 billion cubic meters providing hydroelectric power, irrigation, flood control and water quality enhancement.

The primary focus of Diamond Rose and its partners in the Philippines is to buy, sell, distribute and market at wholesale and retail all kinds of goods, commodities, wares and merchandise made by families residing in the communities affected by the Project—both individually and through cooperatives organized by them. By purchasing these products, customers help assure sustainable livelihood (income) for these families while working at or near their homes.

Such purchases support the livelihood programs of the Project’s private and public proponents.

The Affected Families

Nearly 800 households had to relocate due to the construction of the project and establish new means of livelihood. The majority of these families elected self-relocation, one of several options offered by the Philippine government. The others selected homes built by government in one of several resettlement communities.

Upon project completion in early 2003, the substantial work opportunities the hydro-project generated decreased dramatically. At the peak of construction, more than 5,000 were employed, about 80 percent of whom resided in an affected community.

Now, however, only about 120 full-time workers are needed to operate and maintain the hydro facility, including such support personnel as site security, food and beverage, janitorial, etc. Hence, most of those who were employed during construction either returned to their previous means of livelihood or established new ones.

Diamond Rose’s partners in the Philippines—each of whom was involved in the development and implementation of the hydro-project in some way—decided to organize, manage, operate and finance a company to serve as a training, purchasing, production, quality control, and marketing vehicle for such livelihood projects.

Mindful of the skills and educational backgrounds of these affected families, Diamond Rose and her partners design the products, source raw materials, equipment, tools and facilities for their manufacture, provides skills training and markets the finished products wholesale in the Philippines abroad.

To date, these products include such fashion accessories as jewelry and machine-sewn and crocheted bags, utility items such as tote bags and cellular phone cases, hand-quilted pillow cases, shams and blankets, and machine and hand sewn items featuring hand-woven indigenous fabrics.

Most of these handicrafts products can be made in the home, but in most cases, the workers prefer to gather together at the Hydro project’s Livelihood Center .

Diamond Rose’s partners provide training and equipment for members of handicraft cooperatives in three categories: designing and making of jewelry, sewing, and crocheting. Currently, most of the jobs involve the design and manufacture of jewelry and fashion accessories.

The Coop members consider it a major blessing because there are very few jobs available in the area. For most of them, the only jobs available (other than subsistence farming) require leaving their families and working overseas as domestic helpers. This option exposes them to unscrupulous employment agencies and the risk of abusive treatment and uncertain wages from their employers.

In contrast, the Coop enables them to earn livelihood while living at home and supporting their families—and teaches them the new skills required to do so.

An on-going training program offered by Diamond Rose’s partners involves traveling to its Makati City design studio, showroom and sales office where they learn new jewelry-making skills, participate in the creation of new designs and have the opportunity to visit boutiques and shows to view the latest fashion trends.

Two to four Coop members per week take advantage of the program. Diamond Rose’s partners pays for their transportation to and from their homes and miscellaneous expenses. It maintains an apartment near the office where the ladies reside while working in Manila.

Here are what a few of the members have to say about the Coop:

	Carlina Vitales (Sewer, married mother of four): “I was able to send my two youngest children to school because of my employment with the Coop. They are now high school graduates. I also can provide for the daily needs of my family and even buy “mga pasalubong” (gifts), milk and disposable diapers for my grandchildren.”
	Jocelyn (“Venus”) Corpuz and Marjorie Cabuslay (sisters): “We were able to send our brother to school and now he is a high school graduate. We are saving money so that next year he can go to a vocational school,” says Marjorie.“We also help in the expenses of our farm. I can buy milk and pay for the other needs of my son,” says Venus.
	Marife Lorena (single, lives with her mother): “I can sustain the needs of my family thanks to the Coop. I can even buy milk for my brother’s child. I particularly am thankful to the program manage-ment for helping us form Agno Artisans near our homes. She not only helped me, but many of the other families living in the Camanggaan and Lagpan Resettlement Villages.
Maylyn Marzan (married): “I have a better life now that I work for the Coop. I am proud that, not only am I helping my family, but also improving my skills while working for the Coop and participating in training programs.”
Lorna Faraon (married): “I joined the Agno Artisans much more recently than the founding members but already it has significantly improved my life. My husband has no steady job and we rely on my income from the cooperative for our daily needs. It helps us a lot.”
Lilia Salcedo (Designer, former Overseas Foreign Worker, married with 2 children): “Because of the Coop, I do not have to go work overseas again and now I am with my family. I can help my husband with our family expenses. Our goal now is to have our children finish high school. Our eldest already is in high school. We hope and pray that Agno Artisans will grow and last with the help of this project.”