TBTM Global Ambassador, Gabriellee Queqquegan Interviews Leo Casaclang
In the Philippines, there are many people, especially those in the rural areas and new graduates who do not have jobs. Because of this, many young people nowadays are taking up the challenge to be a social entrepreneur. One of these people is Leo Casaclang.
Leo is a 24-year-old agri-penure and a social entrepreneur. He graduated from the University of Sto. Tomas and took up Entrepreneurship. He has now been farming for two years in Sariaya, Quezon. After his graduation, he immediately went to TESDA, a government branch that provides direction, policies, programs and standards towards quality technical education and skills development, to train NC 2 organic production. He got into farming because there are a lot of opportunities for him to help and grow as a person there.
He has been a social entrepreneur since he started working on his family business. He had given jobs to the elderly and out-of-school-youth who wants to work but could not get a job because of their social situation. He was inspired to do this job because of his parents. According to his parents, one should use his/her blessings to become blessings to others. This sparked his idea to hire these types of people and help them out.
They started out small. He started getting elderly people and the out of school youths when they asked to work in the farm. Their stories, according to Leo, touched his heart and because of this, he took them in so that they could do something productive and earn for themselves. Right now, there are 15 people employed from their neighborhood around the farm since they started.
He hopes that his story about his passion for helping the less fortunate would spark compassion in the youth and make them compassionate with what they do and who they want to help. He also wishes that the youth would be more open to the world and use their skills and talents in order to help the less fortunate in order to make the community a better place.
Article written by Gabriellee Queqquegan, Global Ambassador Spring 2018 cohort.