In September of 2017, the Learning Express Program held at Roxas yielded valuable ideas on how to possibly harness the use of indigenous resources for disaster risk adaptation especially in terms of providing quick, cheap, safe and easy to deploy housing facility for disaster relief – a foldable bamboo house that could house up to eight people comfortably in a post disaster relief operations. Krystelle, Julius, and Amen, all students of Isabela State University, took it from there and enrolled in an entrepreneurship module with LeXICON of Singapore online course. The idea soon evolved as a potential business start-up. By the time the course was to complete, TUKLAS Innovation Labs made an announcement of its opening of an innovation competition for students across the country. With the support of Learning Express Isabela, and LeXICON SP, the three students made it through three stages of competition screening and landed SIXTH PLACER among 260 entries. The Group – 3BUILD with their entry innovation, Foldable Bamboo House for Disaster Relief has received assistance of close to a million as seed capital for 3BUILD to continue building the foldable house to functional and commercially available housing alternative for disaster relief operations, core-shelter housing, enthusiasts. 3BUILD has become a business start-up in the making hoping to register their company and start its business operations by October of 2018. The business finds strength from its social innovation by keeping true to its motto – Building Shelters, Building Communities as their business model will truly involve the participation of communities.
Lex Isabela
