grantees » Caroline Evangelio

This grantee is still in the process of their leadership development with the JWH initiative. This profile will be completed once the grantee has finalised their activities.

As an indigenous Filipino from the province of Aklan, Caroline  has an interest in the indigenous peoples of her country and their heritage. Caroline has translated that commitment into her work as the secretary and board member for the Malay Highlanders Foundation (MAHIFO). In this function she aims at supporting groups looking to preserve indigenous culture and facilitates conflict resolution among community members.

Caroline applied for the JWH grant in order to help indigenous communities by better assessing local development plans affecting indigenous peoples and the compliance of these plans to the laws in the Philippines. Her action plan begins with engaging in various field trips to museums and other NGOs that in their work combine culture with environmental development. She will visit the Negros Museum which promotes local food production both at the community level and with government and civil society groups. Caroline will also make trips to governmental organizations and NGOs in order to familiarize herself with their  work on indigenous welfare, such as the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples. This commission specializes itself in forestry education towards indigenous peoples, and Caroline hopes to apply the skills she learns later on in her work at MAHIFO.  

Lastly, Caroline also has an interest in the cultural revival of indigenous peoples. She will participate in the activities of the Negrito Cultural Revival Initiative. These activities involve preparing the curriculum of the primary education given to indigenous peoples at various departments of education, but also making sure that they preserve their distinct culture and knowledge, such as their way of growing, harvesting and preparing traditional foods. The JWH Initiative is enthusiastic to see the results that Caroline can achieve with her grant.