LIFE* Multipurpose Cooperative
*Livelihood Incentive Fund for the Education of the Deaf

In 1976, the Iloilo Quota club forged an association with the local school for special education and founded the High School for the Deaf, a project long supported by Club-to-Club World Service donations. In recent years, donations paid for vocational instruction. But the school's well-trained, well-educated graduates face a new problem—only a few of them have decent jobs in Iloilo's scarce job market.

The Iloilo Quota club has organized the LIFE Multipurpose Cooperative to get these graduates into the workforce. Teachers and club members work hands-on with grads to help them pool resources and help one another succeed in the marketplace. The co-op promotes self-reliance and builds community spirit, because each member is equally responsible for its success.

Club-to-Club donations provide seed capital for business loans to co-op members at a 1.5% interest rate. Loan payments and interest earnings return to the co-op to finance or re-finance member projects. Co-op members must contribute monthly to the co-op's capital fund; at the end of the year, profits are equitably distributed.

A credit committee of the Iloilo Quota club supervises all transactions and keeps the co-op running smoothly.

If you wish to donate to this project, please click here.

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To return to the Club-to-Club World Service page,
click here.