AIM-based Rotary applies corporate models to community aid

The Rotary Club of the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) is leveraging the corporate backgrounds of its members to shift the focus of civic aid from simple donations to long-term business mentorship.

The two-year-old organization, the only school-based Rotary chapter in the Philippines, delivered a month’s supply of specialized tube-feeding formula Sunday to the Missionaries of Charity Home of Joy for the Sick Children in Tayuman.

The facility houses 25 bedridden residents, ages 2 to 31, who suffer from severe cognitive and physical conditions. Because the wards rely entirely on nasogastric tubes for nutrition, the club coordinated with manufacturers to secure 30 boxes of high-nutrient milk at a discount.

“You need to assess what their actual needs are so you can provide appropriate and impactful help,” said project lead Daniel Nicanor.

The club also utilized professional medical connections to source specialized medicines and lotions for a neighboring home for the elderly, also managed by the Missionaries of Charity. Charter president Jake Que said the initiative stresses the “three T’s” of Rotary: time, talent and treasure.

While addressing immediate medical needs, the club is primarily focused on “teaching communities how to fish” through operational training. Members recently applied this model in Muntinlupa, where they provided the business framework for a community baking enterprise, teaching parents how to calculate profit margins and market their goods.

The chapter plans to replicate this mentorship model on 15 May in Lobo, Batangas. Partnering with the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Rotarians will assist a local mangrove conservation group with corporate governance, marketing, and legal compliance with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

“Because we are from a business school, we want to maximize our impact by helping communities run their organizations and livelihoods,” Nicanor said.