One Day on Earth Global Screening on 04/22/12

Makati City - This Earth Day, Black Pencil Project invites you to a free global screening event of the first One Day on Earth Motion Picture.

Philippines' Black Pencil Project is proud to be featured on this very unique, auspicious film created from over 3000 hours of footage, and shot by our community in every country of the world on October 10th 2010.

Together, we have created a picture of interconnected humanity never before possible.

Thank you for supporting us as we tell Black Pencil Project story to the world.

Please share.
 

Check out the trailer at http://vimeo.com/26378195.

To register and get updates, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/282756768465344/.

Makati City - To kick-start the year, Black Pencil Project together with Climbed Against Cancer founder Nini Andrada Sacro launched the 1000 Hugs Project to help children of typhoon-stricken Cagayan De Oro and Iligan City cope up with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Last December, massive flood rummage low-lying villages, and claimed hundreds of lives in Northern Mindanao. Inspired by Cathy S. Babao's A Thousand Bears for Bicol last 2006 for Albay typhoon victims, a collaboration was formed through social media Facebook. The project was name A Thousand Bearhugs Project and soon start campaigning to collect 1000 teddy bears that will be shipped and used during debriefing and therapy workshops of local counterparts like Rural Missionaries of the Philippines, Ginhawa Tent and Hope Worldwide Philippines.

The result was staggering, at the end of the project we gathered 6000 toys from individuals, families, schools, hospitals, companies from the Philippines and abroad. That's 6x the number of the original number we wish to collect.

Most notable outcome was the participation of 7-year old Australian-American girl named Bronte who's parents are visiting Manila for an international film production. Her YouTube video appealing for toys from her friends went viral and collected at least 3,000 teddy bears and plushies from countries like Australia and United States..

There were so many toys that we were able to extend the program to survivor children of Guihulngan and La Libertad in Negros Oriental that was shocked by magnitude 6.5 earthquake in February, a month after the massive floorings in Northern Mindanao.

"Black Pencil Project core programs are seasonal in nature but over the years, we have developed awareness programs in response to multi-sectoral humanitarian relief drives particularly during calamities. In the past, we've done Pencil Drives and Tees of Hope for Typhoon Ondoy, Paddle To Care for typhoon-stricken Kalinga province. It shows that we've graduated from just giving out pencils" say Mon Corpuz, BPP Program Director

"1000 Bearhugs was successful because of the outpour of support garnered from collection to distribution. Everyone was so inspired and excited, even our driver!" recalls Nina Sacro, founder of Climb Against Cancer. Sacro since January, scoured Metro Manila to ferry teddy bears and plushies from various collection points. 

It's inspiring to hear the stories that came along with the bears and that makes the project even more special. "1000 Bearhugs facilitated thousand of ordinary people to help typhoon victims in their most personal way" Corpuz added.
 

A 1000 Hugs Project featured by the Philippine Daily Inquirer - March 11, 2012
A 1000 Hugs Project featured by Manila Bulletin - March 5, 2012

Study Kit Guide

BPP Pencil Trek Back to School 2012 Coming Soon

For many of us, life has gone on after our initial efforts to help our brothers and sisters in Northern Mindanao. It’s been 10 weeks since typhoon Washi, or Sendong, devastated Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, leaving almost 2,000 people dead.

The United Nations Humanitarian coordinator in the Philippines, Jacqui Badcock, and donor-representatives visited CDO and Iligan in February to see how the humanitarian programs they set up have been addressing the needs for shelter, food, basic social services and livelihood programs.
“I have visited these sites several times since the flash floods, and each time, I have been impressed with the progress made, be it rows of bunkhouses built or an expansion of humanitarian services provided,” said Badcock. “This is a testimony of the good collaboration between the authorities and aid agencies that has continued to strengthen over the weeks.”

Badcock was impressed with the resilience of the affected communities.
“Many people with whom I spoke expressed a desire for work and for means of livelihood. We need more resources to help them get back on their feet as soon as possible.”

Life in CDO and Iligan has not returned to normal. While we in the city continue to be “entertained” by the goings-on in the Senate or the antics of some politicians, thousands of people in the south continue to be at risk.
More than 211,000 people remain displaced in Iligan and CDO, according to a UN report. The majority of the displaced are living with host families or in makeshift shelters; about 13,600 people are in 40 evacuation centers. Humanitarian agencies estimate that 69,000 people living in tents and schools urgently need temporary shelters while houses are being constructed.

The Philippines’ Humanitarian Country team seeks a funding of $39 million to cover the humanitarian and early recovery needs of over 624,000 people until June. More than $14 million has been received already, leaving unmet requirements of $25 million.
Negros Oriental, which was struck by an earthquake last February, and the devastated towns of Guihulngan and La Libertad are yet another story.
Because the deficit is so large and the need so great, the desire to help, no matter which part of the world you are in, remains.

In Manila, for the Black Pencil Project and Climb Against Cancer, we partnered with the Rural Missionaries of Philippines-Northern Mindanao Region and the psychosocial support group, Ginhawa, to bring teddy bears and stuffed toys to children affected by Sendong in CDO and Iligan. The campaign gathered 3,000 bears and stuffed toys.
Almost 2,000 bears, packed by college students of Ateneo de Manila, 75 balikbayan boxes were delivered on Valentine’s Day to evacuation centers in CDO and Iligan. The boxes were flown to CDO for free by Philippine Airlines through PAL Foundation’s Carmen Sarmiento.

The furry friends came from all over. There was a shipment from the Brentwood community in the East Bay, San Francisco. Myda Aguilar Prieto rallied friends and gathered seven balikbayan boxes which were then flown in courtesy of DHL. Those stuffed toys will go to Guihulngan and La Libertad in Negros Oriental, and other unreached areas in Iligan.
Friends from Bacolod, led by Isabel Lovina, have also collected toys and care packages for Negros Oriental children.

In the grand scheme of things, a stuffed toy might be a small thing compared to shelter or food on the table. However, to a child who has lost practically everything, having something to hug in these uncertain times is sheer joy. While we cannot solve the world’s problems, we do what we can to alleviate the sufferings of others.

MANILA, Philippines — On two separate days last month, several trucks full of “love’’ were seen making a beeline for the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan.

Residents of these two cities, especially children, were surprised to see that the trucks did not have the usual food and clothing supplies. Instead, the trucks had stuffed toys, thousands and thousands of huggable plushies of all shapes and sizes, colors and characters!

Soon, the somber and gloomy atmosphere in the evacuation sites in Mandumong and Santa Filomena, the hardest hit villages in Mindanao, turned festive. Everyone was in high spirits, laughing, cuddling, excitedly talking.

And the children, they were smiling again.

THE POWER OF BEAR HUGS

Mon Corpuz, project director and cofounder of the volunteer organization Black Pencil Project (BPP), says help in all forms — including psycho-social therapy — is being extended to the victims of typhoon Sendong. Yet no group or organization has thought of using stuffed toys as a tool in the post traumatic debriefing of the children.

While BPP’s advocacy is centered on collecting pencils and school supplies and distributing it to poor children in remote areas and indigenous communities, the group was also in search of the best way to help the victims.

Inspired by the stuffed toy therapy initiated by writer Cathy Guballa for Bicol typhoon victims in 2006, Corpuz thought of adopting the activity in the affected areas in Mindanao. Guballa, who learned about the toy drive, soon linked up with BPP.

On Valentine’s Day, the first batch of plushies that they collected from schools, call centers, and hospitals were distributed. Judging from the reaction of the kids, Corpuz knew right there and then that it was the most brilliant idea that they have ever done.

“It was a very rewarding and humbling experience for me. Nawala lahat ng pagod namin. It’s because you can see instantly the effect of the teddy bears on the children and even their parents. Kung gaano ka excited ‘yung mga bata, ganun din ‘yung mga parents. There’s really something about these stuffed toys na napaka positive ng effect. Even the NGO workers in the evacuation sites were all in high spirits. I guess the stuffed toys sort of revived the little children in all of us. Everyone was so positive and happy,” recalls 31-year-old Corpuz who works for a digital advertising agency.

TEDDY BEARS IN MEMORIAM

Yet, Corpuz could not erase from his mind the fact that these very children and parents suffered pain and trauma since the storm claimed their homes, livelihood and loved ones. He was so affected by these kids that he was at a loss for words most of the time. He couldn’t even take pictures!

“One thing that really struck me was when a group of mothers, five of them, approached us and asked if they could also have teddy bears in memoriam of their children. Nung una akala ko lapida ang hinihingi pero teddy bears pala! After one day, I realized that it must have been so painful for these mothers to see us distributing the bears to other children while they didn’t even know where their children had gone, if they were still alive or dead,” shares Corpuz.

So affected was Corpuz that it came to a point that he blamed himself for not anticipating such scenario and for unwittingly hurting the feelings of those mothers.

“I asked myself, was there a better way to do it without inflicting so much suffering on them? Dapat ba itinago muna namin sa mga magulang at itinipon na lang sa isang tabi ‘yung mga bata at doon ibinigay? But Cathy told me that I have to forgive myself. I am doing a noble thing and we were all just learning from these experiences,” he adds.

Before the toy distribution in Iligan, BPP first held a puppet show to make the activity more meaningful for the kids and volunteers. The role of the teddy bear in a child’s life was incorporated in the story, its ability to comfort and help ease one’s pain. The puppet show was conducted in partnership with Hope Worldwide Philippines.

In any BPP activity, Corpuz adds that they also emphasize the delineation between the donor and the beneficiary so that they won’t feel that they are just being pitied. “They need to feel that we are here because we are their friends. We want them to know that we genuinely care,” he says.

THE JOYS OF GIVING

At the end of the day, the outreach activity brought joy not only to the hearts of the beneficiaries but also to those who took time and effort to give.

Elementary pupils from Miriam College, for instance, did a toy drive for BPP without even telling them. A child spent her birthday cash gifts to buy brand new toys for the project.

Some call center offices set up boxes in their offices and the employees helped fill it up with plushies. Starbucks, meanwhile, displayed thei r posters for free in their stores to help spread the campaign. Bronte Henfling, a seven- year-old

American girl who was on vacation in the Philippines with her parents, made a YouTube video appealing for old and new stuffed toys. People from various countries responded to her call. She was able to raise 2,500 toys which were distributed by BPP last week in Iligan.

The toy therapy sessions, meanwhile, were conducted by volunteers of Dr. Honey Carandang and the Mindanao Sanitarium Hospital. Philippine Airlines, the Philippine Army, Climb Against Cancer and the Iligan Rural Missionaries of the Philippines North Mindanao region are also major partners of the toy drive.

“When you ask the volunteers, they will say mas malaki ang nakuha nilang tulong kaysa sa ibinigay nila. Some of them who feel that they are living miserable lives later realize that they are indeed very lucky compared to these kids who lost almost everything. Then they become more responsible and sensitive to the needs of others. The most important benefit, though, are the experiences on our journey there and in interacting with the kids. Because at the end of the day, we are all brothers and sisters and we should help each other in the simplest but the most heartfelt way,” says Corpuz.

BPP also plans to conduct a similar toy drive for earthquake victims in Negros.

School In-A-Box is a collaborative effort to provide schools of remote and indigenous communities with basic school supplies on or before the school year enrollment on May.

With 'Collaborative Consumption' as a model, it substantiate the societal roles of a community in the promotion, development and enrichment of compulsory education, particularly in the hard-to-reach areas.

What are needed:

• 250 Study Kits for Grades 1-6 (Pencils, Pens, Pad Paper, Notebooks, Crayons)
• 6 Teachers Kits (Chalk, Blackboard Eraser, Ballpens, Lesson Plan)
• School Kit (Philippine Flag, Volleyball and Net)

How to get involved:

1. Put-up a collection box using a balikbayan box
2. Fill-up box with prescribed kits together with friends
3. Once full, contact Black Pencil Project to arrange pick-up the box

Be A Volunteer Sherpa:

1. Mountaineering clubs, civic groups, schools and private companies are invited to become part of BPP network of sherpas to help bring the school supplies to project areas.
2. Non-climbing sherpas may also volunteer as sponsors for logistics, transportations of supplies from warehouse and jump off points.
3. Corporate sponsors who wish to become part of the project may inquire via email at info@blackpencilproject.org or message us at Facebook

About Black Pencil Project

Black Pencil Project is a grassroots, hobby-based volunteer organization with core advocacies focused on child primary education in remote and indigenous communities in the Philippines.

Basic school supplies are delivered to remote communities through simultaneous and organized treks during months of May up to July through collaborative outreaches with mountaineering clubs, civic organizations and educational institutions.

Black Pencil Project believes that children enrolled at the right age and on the right grade level during formative years of compulsory education are important in child’s development and learning capacity.

To know more about School In-A-Box, please email info@blackpencilproject.org

BPP Book Drive for S.I.K.A.T.

Please help spread the word, or better yet donate some books or other learning materials

Black Pencil Project (www.blackpencilproject.org) is initiating a book drive for the school children of S.I.K.A.T. (Silungan ng Katutubong Kaalam at Tradisyon ng Tenuos) in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato. BPP’s previous efforts in Lake Sebu: 

https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1486679728383

http://www.blackpencilproject.org/201105/pencil-jam-gig-for-a-cause-at-marbel-south-cotabato/

http://www.blackpencilproject.org/201006/black-pencil-project-reached-lake-sebu-finally/ http://www.blackpencilproject.org/201004/pencils-up-down-south/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/allanbarredo/sets/72157629351485523/

If you are outside of SOCSKSARGEN and would like to help, please email info@blackpencilproject.org. We'll find a way to get the books from you and ship them to Lake Sebu, South Cotabato.

REPERTORY PHILIPPINES and PHILIPPINE EDUCATIONAL THEATER ASSOCIATION brings to MAKATI, the hit-musical comedy CAREDIVAS! K I S H will sponsor the opening night on April 27, 2012 at 8pm at OnStage Greenbelt 1.

It will benefit the Black Pencil Project which aims to provide school supplies to kids in remote locations in the Philippines as part of OUR SHARE program.

Tickets(seats are numbered)

Lower orchestra center Php 1,100.00
Lower orchestra left & right Php 1,000.00
Upper orchestra center Php 1,000.00
Upper orchestra left & right Php 800.00
Balcony center Php 700.00
Balcony left & right Php 500.00

Here are ways to purchase a ticket:
1. Check the floor plan and select (it will be updated every day - http://www.facebook.com/CareDivas ).
2. Select a seat and inform us (your name) and we will hold the seat for you. Transfer the payment to GALLANO DESIGNS INC., BPI 0281-0439-78 BUENDIA REPOSO. Let us know if you have transferred the payment by sending a fax copy to +632 8968366. You can claim your ticket on the night of the performance by showing a valid ID.
3. You can also come to KISH to buy tickets, for location check Kish's website: www.kish.ph
4. Reservations are not accepted.
5. You can send an SMS/Imessage to +63 917 537 1681 if you have questions.

Makati City - Multi-awarded designer Ito Kish gives back with a project called Our Share which aims to support various charities and humanitarian organizations with specially marked furnitures on sale.

Ito Kish wrote on his blog.

"Every month, we will feature a unique and beautiful item from K I S H and we will offer it at half the price. If you purchase the featured item, the money you pay will directly go to a foundation/organization who needs it most for their charity work. We wont earn a single centavo on this endeavor, but we will do our share to make a difference".

Asked how he came to know about Black Pencil Project;  "My good friend Nina Santamaria told me about the Black Pencil Project and she told me how some school children in remote areas have to share a pencil just to be able to write or draw and with that scenario we decided to help and give kids hope and inspire them." Kish said.

Money that will be raised will afford us to buy basic school materials that will be given to public elementary schools in remote communities through the volunteers of the Black Pencil Project.
  
For the month of January. Ito Kish is featuring a wire chaise inspired by the Bertoia Asymmetric Chaise.
 

Bertoia Asymmetric Chaise

The selling price is Php 40,500.00 but lucky buyer can get it only for Php 20,250.00 (50%). Full disclosure of the mechanics can be found at Ito Kish Blog

Ito Kish store is located at:

K I S H
233 N. Garcia St., Bel-Air
Makati City 1209
Philippines

UPDATE:

Last month we sold the chaise lounge and raised Php 20,250.00 for Black Pencil Project. All the money that will be raised will give us the opportunity to buy school supplies for children in the far-flung communities around the Philippines come back to school season this June.

This month we will do our Share again with the objective of giving back and helping Black Pencil Project.

Every month, we will feature a unique and beautiful item from K I S H and we will offer it at half the price. If you purchase the featured item, the money you pay will directly go to a foundation/organization who needs it most for their charity work. We wont earn a single centavo on this endeavor, but we will do our share to make a difference.

For the month of February we are featuring this My kiss fish hanging lamp from the Netherlands . Our selling price is Php 14,000.00 but you can get it only for Php 7,000.00 (50%). You get a beautiful lamp and you get to help.

My kiss fish lamp (23" long) made of white ceramics
 

My Kish Fish Ceramic Hanging Lamp (23")

About Ito Kish

In December 2000, a 45-sqm home design store quietly opened its doors to the public at the heart of Makati City. Today, that little store has transformed itself into a locally-renowned brand and an established household name for anyone who’s in-the-know when it comes to interior design.

Through the years, K I S H has not only established a strong presence in the Philippine interior design scene, but has also grown to become a major influence in many facets of the industry. Wallpaper Magazine praised its branding in a story on Manila Design in 2005. Local publications have consistently given K I S H kudos for its unique collections and inspiring visual presentations. In 2004, the company launched its interior design service and has since then collaborated with some of the biggest names in business including Globe Telecom, Antel, Manila Polo Club, Amanpulo, Punta Fuego, Nuvocity and Anvaya.

Today, K I S H continues to inspire homeowners and designers alike by providing them with the most exclusive and up-to-date collections from around the world. K I S H hopes to continue its legacy as one of the foremost style destinations in the country, providing Filipinos with timeless design for years to come.