This is the official GoGetFunding page for Tribes and Nature Defender's Inc. All donations go directly into our account for immediate use.
My name is Datu Lanelio Sangcoan- I am a tribal leader of the Higaonon tribe of Mindanao, Philippines, and founder of Tribes and Natures Defenders Inc. I represent one of the last remaining indigenous tribes in the region fighting to retain hold over our ancestral land. For millennia, we have lived as cohabiters and stewards of The Mount Kalabasiyon Sacred Forest to which we continue to share a spiritual and profoundly sacred connection. The forest is also home to one of the world’s most diverse ecosystems; a rich tapestry of plant and animal species, like the Philippine Eagle, Tarsiers, Hornbills, the Bleeding Heart Dove, which are sadly now endangered.
Today we are facing grave and urgent existential threats, as large parts of the forest are rapidly sold off by tribal leaders under mounting pressure from large mining, logging and agri-businesses in exchange for fast cash and hollow promises. As mega-companies move in to make way for more rampant cutting and clearing in the name of ‘development’, our people are left to defend a shrinking homeland, combat persistent hunger and insecurity, and preserve what’s left of the forest. But even in the face of such formidable greed and power, we refuse to allow our own extinction.
It is out of this defiant and determined spirit that Tribes and Natures Defenders was founded. For nearly a decade, we have sought to defend our indigenous rights and empower all members of our community through education, cultural expression, peace-building, and environmental stewardship.
Yet our path to self-determination ultimately still lies in the ability to afford it.
Tribal leaders have now resolved to sell an additional 100 hectares of the forest to large corporations, inevitably leaving even greater wakes of destruction in their path - that is, unless we are able to come up with the funds ourselves. Tribes and Natures Defenders have been given a 30-Day deadline to raise the 50,000 USD needed to purchase rights to the land, so that the sacred forest may be protected and our identity preserved for generations to come. While this price may be nothing to large corporations, it is an enormous amount of money to our community. We are urgently asking you, as our world neighbors, for your help. Our time is running out.
We would be forever grateful for any donation, large or small, and kindly request that you share this page and our story throughout your networks. By helping us save our home, you are saving yours as well!
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