INVITATION  FOR  VOLUNTEERS, EXCHANGE VISITORS,   &/OR

ON-THE JOB TRAINEES  FOR COMMUNITY WORK

 (Take  a Trip to the PHilippines & Meet  New  Friends)

If you are upbeat and patient, with a willing hand,  a   huge heart,  and a love of variety, adventure,  and fun, you could play a key role at community development projects  by providing  skills and a positive direction. Projects  range  from  community organizing, skills  training, field work,    tree  planting, or  even  just  clerical  or  computer  work  at  the  Manila  Office.

 Yes. Plant a flower,  or  a  medicinal  herb, or coconut seedlings,   or  fruit-bearing trees, or  vegetables  in forests & organic farms in the uplands.   Experience  the heat of the  earth, recharge  through the  potent  energizing    power  of  the   soil,   bathe in one  of  the cleanest  rivers  in  Luzon, and  chitchat,  during  day and  evening   camps, with  new friends  who share the  same  mission and  vision. Or  promote other  community livelihood  projects. The  objective is :  To  help  the  farming  communities  to have sustainable  livelihood projects  and  shift attention  from   logging, kaingin, or land  conversion.  

Encouraging the direct involvement and participation  of  individuals, organizations, cooperatives,  and community-level committees  in  community  projects  has helped ensure the positive  outcomes  for  projects  that   embody the aspirations of the local community;  Participatory approaches that are based on dialogue and persuasion and that include the community as a whole is the  favored  methodology and an indispensable instrument   for sustainability  of community projects.  Participatory, community-based approach has been particularly relevant in areas characterized by limited government involvement.   These  strategies  are  explained  to  volunteers.  More importantly,  activities  that  shift  attention  from  rampant logging  to   other   livelihood  projects  are the  most  beneficial  to all. 

We  must  pursue the  goals  for  the  environment even if   takes   years  of  hard  toil  to  grow bio-diversified  trees  and  crops  again;   and to watch   our  forests   burst  once  more  with   life-supporting   trees.  Indeed,  where the trees are gone, the soil washes down the slopes to clog the lakes and river bottoms, raising the water level, and when the rains come in the mountains  where  there is no  stable  soil  left to hold the water – disastrous  flash floods sweep down into the towns  below, and  rivers burst their banks,  the floods ruin crops and lives, and wash  more soil away to the sea. This  is  really   how    we  could  successfully   submerge   our  cities and  towns  and   smaller  islands  to the sea. The  successive  flash floods since the Ormoc flood last  1991 and  during the last  three years   prove  that  the   situation  is  getting  more and  more  serious.   

 Let us join hands  in  working  for  the  rescue  of  our   environment . Any individual  or  group could  participate by  joining  the  organization as OJT or volunteer. Certificates  of  Community  Service   will  be  issued.  Food  is usually   provided.  Duration vary  from  24 hours  to  3 days,  or  a  week  to  3 months.  

We  also have a  program called Exchange Visitor.  An  urban  resident can  exchange  dwelling  with  a  rural  folk  for  a  certain  period of  time  as  mutually  agreed upon.  The  objective  is  for  the  urban resident  to  experience the  farm work and  life in the  rural area  (the first pilot area is  Sampaloc, Tanay, Rizal)  and  Quezon City.  The  city guys should know  what life is in the  mountains, and  the  rural folks should know what  city dwellers  experience  in their  daily grind.  The  mutual  exchange  should  enrich  both  participants.

Any  interested  party, student, or organization could  get  in touch  with  us  through  the  following   numbers:   925-4960;   259-0088;  0921-5544500;   0917-9966400.