INDIO is committed to the cause of social justice,  integrity of nature and dignity of humanity.

"Look after the earth and save tomorrow!"

 

 

"Look after the earth and save tomorrow!"

INDIO started in 2012 as an initiative   to reach out to  economically marginalized remote areas in the Philippines and other friendly island neighbours.  As INDIO's programs became known, call outs for assistance were soon coming from socially isolated individuals who were far away from their homes. Using the social media for connection, INDIO was soon providing guidance and assistance to Overseas Filipino Workers who had little or no access to information that was relevant to their  their status in the diaspora.  INDIO has been extending assistance to other 'developing' country-neighbours who have suffered calamities.    Today, INDIO  has expanded its commitment  to social justice and its humanitarian outreach.  It  advocates  for isolated and marginalized people, looking out for their interest and speaking on their behalf to relevant entities and organizations. INDIO has facilitated numerous efforts and assistance to victims of various disasters and  devastation in collaboration with other vulnerable large organizations e.g. Caritas-Manila, Red Cross, Save the Children, the Catholic Church and Mission organizations and other vulnerable non-profit organizations.

In Australia, INDIO operated through volunteerism. Utilizing the social media and in coordination with other non-profit organizations INDIO provided advocacy assistance and guidance to new settlers and other members of the ethnic community. INDIO has facilitated collection of donations in response to call out for help from other vulnerable institutions. It has been instrumental in alleviating the sense of alienation, isolation and helplessness of community members in circumstances such as death of family member, financial and job losses and other difficulties. INDIO has been assisting cross sections of newly arrived settlers guiding them on resettlement matters. INDIO has also been supportive of community art endeavour , and it continues to promote community participation in arts and festivals as well as in cultivation of talents and skills amongst the youth towards excellence.

 

 

OZTIN AND HIS BOTTLE OF COINS - 2013

There is something good of humanity that rises from the ashes of misery. It emerges in wondrous ways that allow the eyes to see beauty where there once was none and the heart to feel most tender from far away…. Take Shoichi, a six year old Japanese boy donating all his savings from his piggy bank to the typhoon Yolanda victims, or that unknown little boy protectively carrying a toddler he is not related to, away from a rowdy queue for relief goods and volunteering to queue for food for them both?

November 2013: Meet Oztin. Oztin was five years old and he lived in Australia. He was born in the Philippines and so often he would watch the Filipino channel on TV with his parents. He saw news of typhoon Yolanda and heard how strong and devastating it was. In its aftermath, he saw visions of wreckage and sadness. It silently broke his young little heart.

When his mother started divesting their pantry of things to pack in response to call-out for help for the survivors and the victims, he took out his precious bottle of coins. It was full of coins that he had saved and put away. He handed the bottle to his mom and asked that it be sent to the victims along with his parents’ donation.

The bottle of coins weighed heavy in the bag of packed goods that his mother brought to my office to be included in a donation box for shipment to Manila. Around the bottle was a piece of paper with ‘Oztin’ scribbled in Crayola on it. The thought of counting the coins or taking them to the bank to exchange for a note did not settle well.

For what value was it for a little boy’s heart? It was all he had and he gave it all.

I stowed the bottle away and later wrapped it nicely. It was packed with the other donations and with it was a note that acknowledged how much more than a bar of gold the beribboned bottle was.

“There will be ensuing remittances. Oztin’s bottle of coins will be a magnet to so much more”. With the note was a request that the coins would instead be kept  as they were – the golden heart of a little boy.

Oztin coursed his donation through INDIO. We forwarded his donation along with other donation- for the victims of the typhoon Yolanda (November 2013) through the office of Reverend Fr. Anton of Caritas-Manila, Philippines.

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SOCIAL JUSTICE

INDIO advocates for social justice, human rights and environment protection. Through its director, INDIO has advocated for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWS) to organizations and relevant offices of the Philippine government for responses to various needs. It has provided guidance and information to OFWs who sought assistance and support. INDIO continues its initiative to keep abreast with current issues that are of relevance to the welfare of ethnic and indigenous communities, social justice and and human rights.

CHARITY OUTREACH DRIVES

Since the inception in 2012, INDIO has vigorously implemented various charity and outreach projects in isolated and remote indigenous areas in the Philippines.  INDIO's  outreach  projects  included donations sent  to isolated community groups in the Cordilleras,  to marginalized community in the Province of Rizal and  to Filipino refugees  from Sabah who sought refuge in  the Province of Bohol in the Southern part of the Philippines.

 

INDIO has worked in collaboration with religious sectors, mission groups, non-profit organizations, community cooperatives and schools (Abra and Mountain Province), Catholic Parishes ( Abra), CARITAS-Manila, Red Cross – Melbourne and Save the Children-South Australia.

 

RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS

Each Christmas time,  INDIO reaches out to individuals to deliver them gifts.  This special  'Random Act of Kindness' was started with  the project -  'Act of Santa' in  December 2013.  A young girl found herself suddenly orphaned two weeks just before Christmas.  The young girl's father  was assassinated.   INDIO requested a doctor family  friend of the victim to act as Santa  and deliver a parcel to the girl on Christmas Day. Since then, INDIO continued as tradition its practice of  doing a random act of kindness at Christmas time.

 

INDIO has facilitated support and assistance from sponsors and donors to victims of   natural calamities  e.g.  Ondoy flood victims (Metro Manila), Typhoon Hayan victims in Tacloban, Tsunami victims in Fiji and the earthquake victims in Nepal.

As part of its drive towards value education and learning for ethnic and indigenous youth, INDIO has also sponsored high school essay competitions ( Abra and Sadanga , Mountain Province).

INDIO has engaged in  information campaign about  dengue prevention and has delivered wellness and hygiene training program to children and the youth in the Mountain province.  INDIO's  community programs ascertain areas  of needs and take on various strategies of  delivering support and benefits  to vulnerable  individuals, victims and people in need .

For all its projects INDIO, has relied on sponsorships, donations and voluntary work and participation from Filipino community groups and other ethnic community members in Australia, in the US as well as the Philippines.

INDIO’s projects in the Philippines include donating books to school libraries in  remote locations such as  Tineg in Abra and Sadanga in the Mountain Province.

INDIO has also sent out  herb seeds to test the viability of  herb planting as a cottage industry project  to support.

 

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CURRENT PROJECTS

SADANGA  TRIBAL BACKSTRAP LOOM WEAVE
To revive the traditional tribal backstrap loom weaving of the Igorots in Sadanga, Mountain provice INDIO has also initiated a commissioning program for loom weaving in Sadanga by engaging the elderly tribal women weavers for the work. The first commissioned set has been completed and the next assignment is currently being organized inorder to promote Cordillera weaving and provide a source of income for the skilled tribal elders.

"HOPE IN COLOURS"                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              This  is a creative art-making program with the objective of  providing  individuals  a therapeutic avenue of  self-expression and relief from social isolation.

ONGOING CHARITY OUTREACH PROGRAMS -   INDIO conducts an ogoing collection of donations which it sends to isolated and remote communities or schools in the Cordilleras, victims of calamities and individuals in unfortunate circumstances.

ADVOCACY


INDIO's  work in the  Philippines is based on the following core principles.

1. To promote and encourage preservation of cultural heritage and ancestral domain by mobilising local families, volunteers and partners to provide livelihood solutions in poverty stricken ethnic communities.

2. Promote transformational and sustainable community development and sustain sense of dignity over cultural identity and history through education, medial missions and modes of assistance adapted to circumstances of necessities.

3. Provide health, medical and educational support to school children.

4. Elevate adult community literacy and life skills by conducting literacy-enhancement educational seminars as well as life skills training;

5. Educating target ethnic minority groups (Sadanga Tribe, Abra Tinguians, Benguet Igorots, Lumads and other  disadvantaged ethnic minority/indigenous groups) for awareness on environmental sustainability,

6. Empowerment for economic independence and support for self determination through educational assistance, training and sponsored livelihood projects

 

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FUND RAISING - "ART FOR A CAUSE"

To raise funds, donated art work are being auctioned off or sold under the  “ART FOR A CAUSE”  programwith all sales proceeds going into the lined-up projects of INDIO.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

PURCHASE AN ART
Art work images for the “ART FOR A CAUSE”  program are in the Gallery Pages of this site.  To purchase, please contact us at indigenousindio@gmail.com  and provide us with your choice of artwork. Proceeds will be put towards INDIO's charity programs.

MAKE A DONATION

Please email us at:  indigenousindio@gmail.com


TO  OUR DONORS, SUPPORTERS AND SPONSORS, THANK YOU!