Enrico O. Garde is the Executive Director of Peace and Equity Foundation, a relatively new institution that manages one of the biggest endowment funds in the Philippines. Prior to this, he has occupied top management positions in two other development organizations--as Director of Center for Community Services, a university-based office directly implementing programs in urban and rural poor communities, and as Associate Executive Director of the Foundation for a Sustainable Society, Inc., an institution also managing an endowment fund.
Mr. Garde holds a B.S. in Management Engineering from the Ateneo de Manila University and a Master's Degree in Development Management from the Asian Institute of Management. As Synergos Senior Fellow, he brings with him more than two decades of experience in fund/grants management, program development, monitoring and evaluation, and social entrepreneurship.
The Peace and Equity Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in October 2001 to manage and preserve the value of the Peace Bonds endowment fund. With the income generated from investments, the foundation supports trailblazing and innovative programs that eradicate poverty in the poorest communities in the Philippines. These cover a wide range of projects including those related to: livelihood and enterprise development (e.g., microfinance, micro-enterprise, agricultural projects), basic services (e.g., potable water systems, low-cost housing projects), and institutional development (e.g., network or alliance strengthening).
The foundation provides civil society organizations with development financing and technical assistance, and promotes appropriate technology and networking among all relevant stakeholders. Two years after its formation, the Foundation has supported more than 190 partner communities with projects worth over 4.5 million US dollars.