Philippines Blogs

This month's newsletter is a mid-term report on the projects implemented this year, which we informed you about in the January 2024 newsletter.

For more than 10 years, Junicon has supported a wonderful program at the Pamulaan Center for Indigenous Peoples Education in the Southern Philippines. This support has been enabled by the HOPE International Development Agency Japan, with whom Junicon collaborates to provide funding for students at the Pamulaan center.

The HOPE Study Tour is called UNION, an acronym for Understanding Needs In Other Nations, and the tours include project site visits that are designed to help participants "learn about problems faced by people living in poverty in developing countries and to understand their needs.

The indigenous peoples of the Philippines have been marginalized and discriminated against because of their minority status. As a result, they have lost pride in their culture and have stopped using their own language.

Many indigenous peoples of the Philippines follow traditional farming practices but most do not hold titles to their land. As a result, they face problems such as malnutrition, high incidence of diseases and mortality due to limited access to natural resources and the influx of migrant farmers that have pushed them into poverty. HOPE International Development Agency has been supporting the Pamulaan Center since 2010.

The Pamulaan Center was established as a place for indigenous peoples to regain their pride, protect their own cultures, and acquire the knowledge and skills to coexist with modern society.

I have always believed that education is much more meaningful if it can contribute to solving the many ills creeping in our societies. That belief has been strengthened by my education at the Pamulaan Center for Indigenous People’s Education - University of Southeastern Philippines, an educational institution dedicated to the indigenous peoples in the Philippines.

The world evolves and new cultures form, others vanish. Some grow stronger, some fight for their existence, and many learn to adapt with the changes taking place to survive and prosper. Unfortunately, poverty often is a factor in why some cultures and societies vanish.

Mothers: the life givers, nurturers, and sources of unconditional love - it is the same across the world. Meet some of the amazing Mums that we meet in the field here!