EVSU and Virginia-based non-governmental organization Side by Side Alliance, Inc. officially signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on October 7 at the ORIES Studio Room.
The ceremony formally reinforced an ongoing working partnership between the two institutions to drive community empowerment and poverty reduction across Region VIII. Through this framework, EVSU enters the collaboration through its School of Technology to deliver hands-on technical instruction directly to partner-communities.
EVSU President Dr. Dennis C. De Paz and Side by Side Alliance Executive Director Laura J. Barbee signed the official agreement. Key administrators from both institutions witnessed the ceremony, including Vice President for Research and Innovation and Extension Services Dr. Sheldon Ives G. Agaton, Director for Extension Services Dr. Rustom D. Clemente, and School of Technology Dean Dr. Eduardo V. Cabuyao. Program Officers Jonna S. Abrugar and Mary Jane M. Dadulla also witnessed the signing on behalf of Side by Side Alliance.
The partnership centers on delivering competency-based technical instruction to help local residents gain stable employment and higher earnings. Under the agreement, EVSU’s School of Technology is set to provide service trainings in Electrical Installation and Maintenance, Civil Construction, Culinary Arts, Electronics, Welding and Fabrication, Automotive Technology, Machining, Clothing and Pattern Making, Silk Screen Printing, and other relevant competencies.
Beyond classroom instruction, EVSU will administer post-training on-the-job training activities and establish active employment linkages with local business owners, contractors, and government agencies. EVSU faculty will also collaborate across academic units, and conduct formal research evaluations within six months and one year to measure project impact.
Headquartered in Occoquan, Virginia, Side by Side Alliance, Inc. operates as an international non-governmental organization guided by core values of honesty, respect, compassion, and hope. The organization comes alongside impoverished communities in the Philippines to help residents overcome generational poverty through sustainable livelihood solutions. The alliance envisions healthy, self-reliant rural communities across the Eastern Visayas where families achieve economic freedom and reliably provide for their daily necessities.
This initiative transforms academic technical expertise into tangible economic self-reliance for vulnerable rural families. By equipping community members with practical skills and establishing direct job pathways, the partnership aligns with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 01: No Poverty, SDG 08 Decent Work and Economic Growth. Furthermore, the hands-on instruction advances SDG 04: Quality Education, while the joint institutional effort embodies SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals by uniting university technical capabilities with international NGO resources.
via JS Beleña
