HOW MY PARTICIPATION AT THE SOCIAL ENTERPRISE WORLD FORUM IN MALAYSIA ENRICHED MY ADVOCACY
31 October – 04 November, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. My participation in the Rural Forum 2025 was both a personal milestone and a profound learning experience. On November 1 and 2, I joined a field trip to Kota Kinabalu and to Kundasang with delegates from several countries, where we met community leaders and farmers engaged in social entrepreneurship rooted in culture and sustainability. Listening to their stories deepened my respect for the resilience of Indigenous communities who protect the environment while creating livelihoods with dignity. The following day, November 3, I served as a panel speaker in Thematic Session 3: “Building Rural Community Capacity—Strengthening Skills, Resources, and Resilience,” organized by the Sabah Creative Economy and Innovation Centre (SCENIC) and the Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF). Drawing from my work at Coffee for Peace in Mindanao, I shared how real capacity-building goes beyond training—it restores dignity, cultivates leadership, and builds peace. I found powerful parallels between the rural realities of Sabah and Mindanao, where people face similar challenges yet show unwavering hope and strength. I returned home inspired by the global solidarity I witnessed, reaffirming my belief that rural communities can lead their own sustainable and peaceful futures.
Experiencing the vibrant Kokoriu Community
I had the joy and honor of visiting Kokoriu, a vibrant community-based social enterprise in Kampung Tiong Karanaan, Tamparuli, Sabah. My visit was part of a social enterprise gathering organized by SCENIC and SEWF, and our specific focus that day was “Making Traditional Bamboo Instruments.”
As soon as I arrived, I could feel the deep connection between the people and their land. The community members welcomed us with their gentle smiles, their hands skilled in both farming and crafting. The bamboo instrument workshop was more than an art activity — it was a window into how the community expresses their culture, identity, and harmony with nature. Each musical tone seemed to resonate with their values of sustainability, cooperation, and peace.
Learning about Kokoriu’s broader work inspired me deeply. Their community seed bank safeguards traditional, non-GMO heirloom seeds that preserve local food heritage. Their forest stewardship protects around 17 hectares of community forest, ensuring water security and biodiversity for future generations. I was impressed by their integrated approach — connecting sustainable food systems, natural farming, and value-added enterprises to create livelihood resilience. Their products — from herbs and spices to local crafts — tell a story of ecological balance and creativity.
I was especially touched by the leadership of Anjelen Daransun and the team who guide this initiative with wisdom and vision. Kokoriu’s model demonstrates that rural communities can thrive through enterprise rooted in respect for creation and ancestral knowledge.
Leaving Kokoriu, I carried home the sound of bamboo music — a melody of hope that reminds me how community, ecology, and culture can work in harmony. Kokoriu embodies the spirit of peacebuilding through enterprise: nurturing both people and planet with joy, humility, and creativity.
A learning tour on DumoWongiland
I was also privileged to join a meaningful learning tour at DumoWongiland, a model rural community in Sabah. Along with delegates from Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Australia, the United Kingdom, and several other countries, I experienced firsthand how rural social entrepreneurship takes root when local communities are empowered to lead their own development.
The visit to DumoWongiland was more than a pre-conference field trip—it was a living classroom. We met with local community leaders, women entrepreneurs, and farmers who have built sustainable enterprises grounded in indigenous wisdom, ecological stewardship, and cultural pride. Their initiatives ranged from community-based tourism and herbal product manufacturing to sustainable cocoa and coffee production.
As we listened to their stories under the shade of towering rainforest trees, I was deeply moved. These rural leaders are not just business operators—they are custodians of both culture and nature, demonstrating how enterprise can serve as a bridge between livelihood and sustainability. One farmer leader told us, “We are not just producing crops—we are cultivating dignity.” Those words captured the essence of what we, as rural social entrepreneurs, strive to achieve.
Speaking at the Rural Forum 2025
The following day, November 3, I had the honor of serving as a panel speaker in Thematic Session 3: “Building Rural Community Capacity—Strengthening Skills, Resources, and Resilience.” The forum, organized by the Sabah Creative Economy and Innovation Centre (SCENIC) in partnership with the Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF), convened leaders and practitioners dedicated to inclusive and sustainable rural development (SCENIC, 2025).
During the session, I shared insights from our work at Coffee for Peace in the Philippines. Our mission has always been to build peace through economic justice—helping farmers, Indigenous Peoples, and women find their voice and value in the marketplace. I emphasized that capacity-building must go beyond skill development; it must nurture agency, dignity, and relational harmony.
At Coffee for Peace, we view training as a holistic process that integrates livelihood with peacebuilding. We teach farmers not only how to grow coffee but also how to negotiate fairly, manage cooperatives democratically, and lead their communities with compassion and integrity. I shared how our long-term mentoring of Indigenous women in Mindanao has helped them transition from marginalized producers into social entrepreneurs and community peacebuilders (Pantoja, 2023).
Shared Lessons from Sabah and Mindanao
What struck me most during both the field visits and the Forum discussions was the deep similarity between the rural realities of Sabah and those of Mindanao. Both are regions of remarkable cultural diversity, rich ecosystems, and communities striving for equitable access to opportunity. Both also face the challenges of climate change, youth migration, and economic marginalization.
Yet, amid these shared struggles, I saw resilience. In Sabah, as in the Indigenous uplands of Mindanao, the people’s strength comes from their rootedness—their spiritual connection to land, family, and community. This reaffirmed my belief that sustainable transformation must come from the ground up, through relationships built on trust and respect for ancestral wisdom.
I told the audience that peace and sustainability can never be “imported” from outside. They must grow organically from the community’s own soil.
Global Solidarity in Rural Social Enterprise
The Rural Forum also reminded me that the struggles of rural communities are universal—and so is their hope. As the Pioneers Post observed in its coverage of this global movement, “connecting isolated enterprises unlocks development” (Pioneers Post, 2025). I experienced this truth firsthand in Sabah.
Delegates from Africa, Europe, and Southeast Asia spoke of the same commitment: to ensure that rural people have access not only to resources but to recognition and respect. We exchanged stories of impact, from community-led tourism in Borneo to cooperative agriculture in Latin America. Every conversation affirmed that we are part of a global network of hope, weaving together a future where rural communities thrive as equal partners in development.
My Reflection: Leadership from the Ground Up
Looking back on those days, I feel renewed and deeply grateful. The field immersion grounded my learning in the lived realities of rural enterprise. The Rural Forum panel discussion allowed me to share the Filipino experience of peace-centered entrepreneurship with a global audience.
I carried home this conviction: building capacity is building peace. When rural women are trusted to lead, when Indigenous farmers are empowered to decide, and when communities are equipped to manage their own resources, the result is not only economic progress but also human flourishing.
In Sabah, I witnessed the same heartbeat that moves our communities in Mindanao—a collective yearning to build a just, peaceful, and sustainable future. And as I spoke to the world from that platform, I realized that our local stories are part of something much larger: a global movement for rural dignity and empowerment.
References
Pantoja, J. (2023). Peace and reconciliation through inclusive enterprise: The Coffee for Peace journey. Coffee for Peace Publications.
Pioneers Post. (2025, October 16). Connecting isolated enterprises unlocks development: The rural social enterprise movement. Retrieved from https://www.pioneerspost.com/news-views/20251016/connecting-isolated-enterprises-unlock-development-the-rural-social-enterprise
Sabah Creative Economy and Innovation Centre (SCENIC). (2025). Rural Social Enterprise Gathering 2025. Retrieved from https://scenic.my/ruralsegathering/