The Sugar Industry Foundation, Inc. (SIFI) finds its 50th golden year of service in the middle of a world-wide pandemic. This, however, did not stop the celebration of the 50-year legacy which was facilitated through the virtual platform on March 27, 2021. More than 100 participants attended synchronously via Zoom webinar and Facebook Live, and viewership online continues to rise, so far 800 viewers as of this writing. The participants include SIFIs’ stakeholders, beneficiaries and their families whose lives the foundation have touched. The event was an affirmation of SIFI as a growing family and how it survived the obstacles it had encountered with perseverance and grace.
SIFI is a continuing story of hope for sugarcane workers and their families. It is guided by a strong belief that those who are willing to work hard can achieve their dreams. SIFI was founded in 1971 to provide a formal institutional medium to initiate, sponsor, finance and assist socio-economic development projects for the benefit of sugar workers and their dependents. The foundation endeavors to make sure that life can be made better through continuous innovation, while always keeping respect and personal attention at the heart of its strategies. It is also committed to engage the sugar workers in learning skills and improving their health and well-being by adapting the vision of SIFI which is to build stable and self-reliant sugar producing and milling communities.
The anniversary gave foundation leaders a perfect reason to celebrate and foster a sense of pride in being part of an industry which cares for its own people as manifested by a rich compilation of videos highlighting the accomplishments of the four pillars of development: Education, Livelihood, Health and Advocacy. Also featured are videos of successes in the areas of Responsible Sourcing from Small Landholders (RSS) Program, Sugar Farm Technician Course (SFTC) and the Distribution of COVID-19 prevention kits, rice and COVID-19 awareness collaterals to beneficiaries.
Such a milestone celebration gave SIFI a platform to emphasize the foundation’s commitment to corporate responsibility, and an opportunity to give back to the sugar workers, their families and their communities who have given SIFI the social license to operate.
