Who is Illac Diaz?

Diaz, Illac

Prior Education

MIT Special Program in Urban and Regional Studies (SPURS), Research

Fellow Asian Institute of Management, Masters of Entrepreneurship
Ateneo de Manila University, Business Administration Degree

Professional Experience

My Shelter Foundation: Executive Director
Pier One Seafarer’s Center: President
Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World for Social Enterprise Award Recipient 2006
MIT $100,000 Business Plan Competition Grand Prize Winner (Development track)
Ashoka Low-Cost Housing Global Competition Finalist (2006)

Biography

Illac: "My involvement with social enterprise began as a thesis project for my masters program. We were challenged to seek opportunities where business skills could be used to create sustainable solutions to poverty situations in the Manila area. I was interested in the impacts of the large transient population brought about by the country’s focus on exporting labor, especially on housing and HIV/AIDS. This lead me to do research on the seafarer population, which had the highest rate of movement into the city at about a million people a year; this group also accounted for 35% of all HIV cases recorded for the Overseas Contract Workers (OCW). No alternatives were available to this low-income group."

"Starting with only forty beds, Pier One was established as a shelter where seafarers could find accommodation for one dollar a night and a unique system where they could be given temporary jobs during their stay. This project has since grown to 1,500 beds, and it has both served and provided job assistance to over 95,000 maritime workers to date. The program is further strengthened by weekly programs on HIV/AIDS and the availability of free medical assistance. Through the Fellowship, I am excited to break new ground with insights I will gain from my colleagues and knowledge I will gain from the program that will increase the social impact of my work."