Lucy L. Magusara, Communications Coordinator CORPh
Date Published
Estimated reading time
6 mins
In every household, a mother is the heart that nurtures her family—not only through her guidance and tender love but also through the magic of her cooking. There’s truly nothing like a mother’s home-cooked meal. Now, imagine the strength and support eight empowered mothers from the Nanay Internship Program can bring as they come together to uplift an entire community.
At Calls Over Ridges Philippines (CORPh), our mission to provide children with daily nutritious meals naturally led us to the most vital allies, the nanays. We believe that when mothers are empowered and their agency rekindled, they become unstoppable forces of support—not just for their families but for the entire community. This belief inspired the pilot of the Nanay Internship Program in 2024, where three determined mothers from San Mateo completed an 8-part workshop series.
Women’s Empowerment: Learning, Growing, and Leading
In April 2025, CORPh proudly launched the Nanay Internship Program in partnership with Kolekbibo, a local café and social enterprise in Siargao renowned for its commitment to sustainable food, community development, and women’s empowerment. Kolekbibo has long been a trusted partner in our Nutrition Program, preparing daily nutritious meals for children at San Mateo Elementary School and Abad Santos Elementary School. From April to May of 2025, Kolekbibo hosted and facilitated eight workshops, while CORPh coordinated the program—selecting participants, managing logistics, and ensuring the training aligns with our broader nutrition goals.
The workshops covered essential topics—from understanding nutritional content and creating balanced meals to budgeting and maternal care. Our goal was clear–to ensure children are nourished not only at school but also at home. The nanays were not just participants; they became community pillars, stepping confidently into new roles as skilled cooks within our expanding Nutrition Program.
A Partnership Rooted in Shared Values
Our collaboration is built on a foundation of shared values of local empowerment, food sustainability, and community well-being. CORPh maintains ongoing communication and monitoring, while Kolekbibo’s experienced nanay cooks and mentors design a curriculum tailored to the needs of school feeding programs. This curriculum includes meal planning, safe food handling, nutrition basics, budgeting, and practical cooking techniques. Weekly feedback sessions keep the program adaptive and responsive, creating a truly collaborative and nurturing environment.
CORPh is further partnering with Sports City Inc. (SCI) to launch a cookbook (top-left), showcasing the nutritious and affordable meals created through this program.
Why Invest in Nanays Now?
Our Nutrition Program currently feeds over a hundred learners across multiple schools. But these meals are more than just food—they are lifelines that keep children in school, sharpen their focus, and combat malnutrition. Investing in mothers as interns is both a strategic and deeply heartfelt choice. Nanays shape the health habits of their families and communities, and by training them, we foster greater ownership of the program while opening doors to livelihoods many had never imagined.
One nanay, Jeann, shared, “My kid was on the verge of nutritional collapse. If it weren’t for the daily lunch served at school, he never would’ve recovered.”
Rowena, another nanay intern, reflected, “I learned so much from the internship—how to make affordable meals with vegetables that even my picky eaters enjoy.”
Throughout the internship, the nanays mastered food safety, meal preparation, and budgeting. Many had never worked in a professional kitchen before, so stepping into Kolekbibo’s warm and bustling café was both humbling and empowering.
Building a Legacy Together
The true success of the Nanay Internship Program lies in the strength of its partnership. CORPh brings grassroots knowledge and a steadfast commitment to youth development, while Kolekbibo contributes culinary expertise and a passion for empowering local women. Together, we have created a space where trust, learning, and shared responsibility flourish. This partnership doesn’t just fill plates—it ignites purpose.
As of May 2025, a total of 8 nanay interns from the community of San Mateo have graduated from the program. As we look to the future, we dream of establishing a community kitchen managed by former nanay interns—a vibrant hub of nourishment, entrepreneurship, and community pride. This kitchen will stand as a lasting legacy of partnership and hope.
Join Us in Fueling Futures
This story is a powerful reminder that when we invest in women, we invest in entire communities. When we build together, we build stronger. Let us continue to fuel futures—one meal and one mother at a time. Your support makes these stories possible. Help us reach more tables, touch more hearts, and transform more lives.
about the author
Lucy Magusara
Lucy is CORPh’s Communications Coordinator
and is based in Siargao, Philippines
Our stories The Philippines Empowering Nanays: Nourishing Families and Communities, One Meal at a Time
