The TAO 7th Anniversary Celebration
Last August 20, 2008 TAO-Pilipinas celebrated its 7th anniversary. To celebrate the event, a series of activities were lined up for the 3-day celebration. One of them was the exhibit and product presentation of Alternative Building Materials and Technology which was held at the UP College of Architecture.
The exhibit showcased samples of alternative building materials such as compressed earth blocks, interlocking compressed earth blocks, concrete interlocking blocks, micro concrete roof tiles, and wood wool cement bonded board. Samples of interlocking compressed earth blocks were provided by the Julio and Florentina Ledesma Foundation Inc. (JFLFI) while samples of micro concrete roof tiles were provided by the Foundation for the Development of the Urban Poor (FDUP). Students from UP College of Architecture as well as from other universities such as FEU viewed the exhibit. Partner networks such as COPE also dropped by to see the exhibit.
The product presentation was held on the 3rd day of the exhibit with Arch. Cesar Aris from the Foundation for the Development of the Urban Poor (FDUP) as one of the invited speakers. He made a presentation about micro concrete roof (MCR) tiles and compressed earth blocks (CEBs). Information about concrete interlocking blocks (CIBs) and interlocking compressed earth blocks (iCEBs) were presented by Arch. Ger Samson and Arch. Faith Varona respectively. The SABMAT Research was also presented to the students and people’s organizations who attended the product presentation.
Another activity was the presentation of TAO Future Projects to partner networks and possible funding agencies. This activity which was held in the TAO office was done simultaneously with the product presentation. Representatives from USAid and Philssa were present as well as from other partner networks such as DAMPA.
Another highlight of the celebration was the launch of the 6-year Accomplishment Report. The 6-year Accomplishment Report detailed TAO-Pilipinas’ history and achievements. The report provided insightful information about TAO-Pilipinas, its growth and development as well as its future plans and direction as an organization. The report also showcased feedbacks from people that TAO-Pilipinas worked with and brief messages from mentors such as Fr. Jorge Anzorena. Also included in the accomplishment report is the TAO financial statement for the past 6 years and a summarized timeline from 2001, the year TAO-Pilipinas was officially founded.
All in all, the anniversary celebration marked another year of providing assistance to urban poor communities, bringing awareness to them, and stirring the social consciousness of young technical professionals.
News Digest | rp | 04 February 2009 |
