The Mangyan Project was initiated to provide sustainable working and learning opportunities for the indigenous Mangyans on the island of Mindoro / Philippines.

In accordance with the belief that empowering people to provide for themselves is better than providing them with food and other aid, we intend to create valuable jobs from which the people can continue to make a living in the future.

As a first step toward this goal we have facilitated the production of minor products out of coco wood. In addition to wooden Easter eggs, balls and picture frames, the Mangyans have also started to produce wooden racks for mosquito nets. These products are intended to be sold from a shop in Manila as well as to customers all over Denmark.

As the project continues to develop the skills required for crafting more complicated items, even furniture, the goal is to extend production in order to include these additional items. However we have only just begun and there is still a long way to go to reaching this goal. As a first step the project began a test period on Feb. 16th 2008 in order to establish a "proof of concept" with limited spending from the donated funds.

The Mangyans have a unique life style with very strong traditions and in the past several aid programs failed where organizations had not been considerate enough of this culture. With this in mind we preferred to start small, continually consult with the elders and allow the project to grow at a pace with which everybody was comfortable. A cultural awareness is one of the

main reasons that we try to keep manual labour resource located in the villages wherever possible. Traditionally Mangyans do not like to leave the village unless they are accompanied by their entire family and many have had bad experiences in the pulsing, "civilized" life away from their secure environment deep in the "bush".

During our test period, we have employed two couples who, in their respective areas have good ties with the targeted Mangyans. The husbands are locally skilled carpenters and take care of the handicraft while the wives, both having backgrounds in teaching and social work, take care of finances and and project integration. Furthermore we employ a freelance designer, who oversees product development and quality supervision. At the end of this initial test

period (which may be extended) we will evaluate the project and will hopefully begin to take steps towards a centrally located machine carpentry which enables mass-production of semi-finished products. Those products will then be finished in the Mangyan's villages.

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