News & Updates
Black Pencil Project Reached Out To Manobo-Matigsalug of Bukidnon
Makati City - Philippines' Black Pencil Project reached Sisimon last May 27, 2012 in Kapalangan, San Fernando to deliver some 150 study kits, teachers kits and a school kit. A composite group of five volunteers lead by program director Mon Corpuz; travelled for 4 hours on habal-habal and crossed rivers for 3 times to fulfill the delivery of the kits aptly called School-In-A-Box; a new program introduced by the group this year.
Kapalangan is about 60 kilometers east of Valencia town and accessible thru a dirt road. Manobo-Matigsalug are one of the ethnic minorities of Northern Mindanao and inhabits the mountainous parts of Tigwa-Salug Valley.
The Matigsalug are the Bukidnon groups who are found in the Tigwa-Salug Valley in San Fernando, Bukidnon. "Matigsalug " is a term, which means "people along the River Salug". The Matigsalug men wear short tight-fitting pants that are of knee length and are hem and turbans for the head decorated with beads and fringed with goat's/horse's hair. The Matigsalug of Bukidnon have an approximate population of 146, 500.
Black Pencil Project is a grassroots, interest-based volunteer organization with core advocacies focused on the promotion of primary education in remote and indigenous communities in the Philippines. Through resources mobilization programs utilizing known collaborative consumption models, materials assistance like basic, start-up school kits are provided to select barrio schools during start of classes of each school year.
Primary Education, fundamentally is very significant in the public schools system because this is the time when children are taught to write, read and count. Children must be equipped with materials necessary to fuel their enthusiasm to go to school despite of the challenges said Mon Corpuz, program director.
The Department of Education institutionalized Kinder as compulsory requirement prior to Grade 1 this year and had been criticized due to the insufficiency of the program, infrastructure and teacher training.
Black Pencil Project focuses on early learners (Day Care, Grades 1 to 3), believing children must be enrolled at the right age on the right grade level to reach the maximum potentials of learning capacities.
Manila Screening – One Day on Earth (features Philippines’ Black Pencil Project)
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/.
1000 Bearhugs Project: A staggering success!
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
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