Tag: mindanao

There is a strong relationship between peace building and the role of volunteerism in the promotion of social cohesion, reconciliation, civic engagement, and the development of local human capacities. Volunteerism generates forms of social capital that are indispensable to peace-building, and it plays an important role in aiding the development of citizens capacities. While every… Continue reading Volunteering: the Key to Peace in Bangsamoro

The Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) signifies a great milestone of peace negotiations over decades of talks in the Bangsamoro region in southern part of the Philippines. It is significantly the compilation and sum total of all the agreements, declarations, joint statements, principles and mechanisms reached and agreed upon between the government and the… Continue reading Progress in the Peace Negotiations in the Philippines

Last month, Jamal Alkirnawi and Lo Ivan Castillon led a discussion on March 16 for Global Gather and Chicago Peace Fellows entitled “The Promise and Peril of Working with Governments,” about the challenges and opportunities non-governmental organizations (NGOs) can face when seeking to partner with states, and local officials. Both members of the inaugural Global… Continue reading The Promise and Peril of Working with Governments: A Global Gather/Chicago Peace Fellows’ Roundtable

  Greetings from Phillippines! The Volunteers’ Initiatives in Bridging and Empowering Society (VIBES) is pleased to share with the Goldin Institute’s supporters about our activities in September 2019. What were the highlights from your work this month? VIBES through its Chairperson, Lo Ivan Castillon, participated in the Consultation Meeting as an organizational member of the… Continue reading GATHER Alumnus Lo Ivan Castillon Shares Update from the Philippines

When our team in the Philippines received the grant from the Lush Cosmetics Foundation, they made a commitment to install 16 water pumps serving at least 3,500 students in Maguindanao.  Thanks to the additional support from a crowdfunding campaign led by Board member Akif Irfan and the tireless efforts of a network of volunteers in… Continue reading Volunteers Double the Impact of Grant from Lush Foundation

For Advisory Board Member Akif Irfan, helping a grassroots organization solve a water crisis in the war-torn Philippine island of Mindanao is both part of his personal responsibility as a Muslim American, and just another chapter in his long relationship with the Goldin Institute. This summer, Akif launched a fundraising drive with his family and… Continue reading Get Involved: Campaign for Safe Water in Mindanao

Working within a coalition of members in civil society, non-governmental organizations, the military, armed guerillas and parents, Susana and her team overcame persistent challenges which still remain moving forward.   A joint report released this month from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Unicef shows sobering numbers for safe drinking water access in the Philippines. According… Continue reading Philippines Water Project Reaches 40,000 students!

We are pleased to share that the Goldin Institute has received a $20,000 grant from the Lush Cosmetics Charitable Foundation to support our work in the Philippines. With this grant, the Goldin Institute will be able to expand the safe drinking water project to an additional sixteen schools in Mindanao, estimated to reach more than… Continue reading Major Foundation Support for Philippines Water Project

This story summarizes the hopes of interfaith groups dedicated to building peace in the southern Philippines. These peace activists, including our friend Father Angel Calvo, continue to advocate on behalf of the peace process that would bring an end to the decades-long conflict between the Muslim and Christian populations of Mindanao. The sentiment of those… Continue reading Interfaith Groups Work Towards Peace in Mindanao