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ABS-CBN Bayan Foundation rolls out ‘Entrep Bus’ – a mobile kitchen on-the-go.

n old container van may seem like an odd choice for a makeshift classroom, but for ABS-CBN Bayan Foundation's Bayan Academy, this room-on-wheels is just the right vehicle to set things in motion for their breakthrough project, the Kaalaman sa Kusina Karavan.

 

Also called the Entrep Bus, the 40-feet container van was launched recently at the Makati City Hall Grounds. It is set to travel around Metro Manila and nearby provinces to reach out to Filipinos such as housewives and teach them basic culinary and entrepreneurial skills. 

 

"This is an innovative idea for Bayan Academy to extend its reach in providing basic entrepreneurial knowledge to the less-privileged Filipino families and help them improve their livelihood," said Dr. Eduardo Morato, Jr. ABS-CBN Bayan Foundation president.

 

The container van, donated by Ai-Hu Foundation (a group of Chinese-Taiwanese businessmen), was converted into an instant mobile kitchen that will serve as classroom and training venue for people who want to enlist with the classes.

 

The cooking classes will teach housewives to prepare delicious and nutritious meals from basic ingredients, particularly kitchen staples such as noodles and canned sardines.

 

The kitchen is complete in facilities – with modern appliances, cooking tools, dining wares and others. The Entrep Bus is fully-air conditioned and also has its own office space with computers for the staff. The side of the container van opens to a provisional veranda that will be used as conference area during cooking presentations and other live discussions.

 

The classes take two days to complete for every town or city, with eight-hour sessions per day. Cooking classes will be given courtesy of Bayan Academy's in-house chefs and instructors.

 

Aside from cooking, part of the Entrep Bus program is to teach participants on applying what they have learned into more lucrative opportunities such as setting-up their own eateries or carinderias. For this, basic operation and management skills will be taught.

 

The Entrep Bus program can also provide a special commercial cooking and service course where participants have the chance to pass TESDA's assessment test and earn for themselves a national certificate (NC11) – a requirement for overseas employment and those who want to work in local restaurants and hotels.

 

Aside from providing the cooking course, Bayan Academy also has a micro-financing program that can help participants start their own food business by providing loans.

Plans for the Entrep Bus took almost two years to complete – with focus on providing alternative education that can reach not just individuals but whole families. With a mobile classroom, ABS-CBN's Bayan Academy believed that they can cover more grounds, which in turn can touch more lives. The final touches of the project was done last year, with the foundation also focusing on choosing where to start the undertaking, and who to tap to get the program running.

 

The Kaalaman sa Kusina Karavan's first official stop was at the City Hall of Makati. The culinary entrepreneurship training program's next destinations are Antipolo and Bulacan, in partnership with their corresponding LGUs. The cooking classes will also adjust depending on the entrep bus' destination – focusing on the town or city's local livelihood and delicacies such as suman and kasuy for Antipolo, and local sweets for Bulacan.

 

"This is a potent synergy formed by the private sector, the government, and the media. The project is really innovative and it sends out a very positive signal to everyone who want to uplift the quality of their lives, and provide for the welfare of their families," said Gina Lopez, vice-chairperson and member of the board of trustees, ABS-CBN Bayan Foundation.

 

ABS-CBN Bayan Foundation, with the support of the Lopez Group of Companies, created Bayan Academy to concretize its commitment to democratize entrepreneurship and management education as its way of uplifting the lives of the Filipinos and building the nation.

 

The Entrep Bus was made possible by its network of partners including Ai-Hu Foundation, ELBA Philippines, Sun Goddess Food Corporation, Chattrade Enterprises and Silver Swan.

 

For inquiries,  call 927 3065 / 410 3453, or email bayanacademy@gmail.com.