This Covet post is dedicated to my superwoman friend, Renée Patron. I first met Renée a few years ago in Boracay; there was something about her laid-back vibe, and genuine energy that made it very effortless to talk to her.
Back then, she had just started working on her bag and home accessories line called Banago. Her story was so interesting, that I interviewed her for The Philippine Inquirer.
I support Banago because it creates a livelihood program for the women in Samar, while at the same time, promotes hand-crafted Philippine products on a global scale. However, because of the impact of last year’s Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan); her hometown, Guiuan, was badly devastated.
In an instant, Renée took charge of relief operations, and has been concretely working to rebuild and rehabilitate her hometown (and help her artisans from nearby communities) these last few months. While it hasn’t been an easy journey- and there is still much work to be done- Renée’s consistency, resilience, and strength is an encouragement to keep on helping out.
You can learn more about Banago here: http://banago.virb.com/
Photo Credit: Banago
THE NEXT 
1 Comment