Determined PTRI Technical Staff for S&T

The four units of therapeutic/PDL loom and four units of jack type loom were fabricated at the Institute.  The pieces of equipment were delivered to NVRC in time for the launching/turnover ceremony of the technology in February 2001. Thereafter, an incubation center for weaving was established at NVRC.  Afterwards, a training course on the basics of weaving was conducted, with persons with disability in the lower extremities of the body as participants.  This was followed by an advance course focusing on different techniques for designing.  Production trials were conducted for one month to develop and build their skills.

During the period, determined PTRI staff members alternately took turns to assist the weavers in improving quality and productivity.  The center generated an income of P29,820 from walk-in clients.  It was a very rewarding experience for the trainers, especially when the weavers confidently joined the February 2002 Legacy Exhibit in Glorietta and Manila Peninsula, amazingly generating a gross sale of P85,850.  By July of 2002, the center had an accumulated stock of products worth P73,630.

Though the project officially concluded in October 2002, PTRI still provided consultancy and technical assistance to NVRC, particularly in new designs and in color vogue to enhance consumers’ appeal.  As of March 2002, the center had generated a gross income of P115,670 from the P63,500 worth of supplies and materials provided by the project.  In terms of income generation and skills development the project was truly a success.  However, the real success of an intervention can be measured not during project implementation but rather how it gets sustained and how it transforms the lives of its beneficiaries.