True to its corporate social responsibility of contributing to the preservation of the Tamaraws, FEU, led by its Volunteerism Services Office (VSO) & Alumni Relations Office (ARO), once again visited San Jose, Occidental Mindoro last August 4-7, 2022, to conduct series of socio-civic and environmental activities.
To kick off this year’s Save the Tamaraw Project, FEU awarded financial support amounting to P151,927.00 for the noble Tamaraw Rangers. The grant was used to reconstruct their Ecolodge facility, which was ruined by a recent fire incident.
In pursuit of a more sustainable community-based initiative for the Tau-Buid tribe, a grant amounting to P50,000.00 was also awarded for their native hog livelihood program. The grant was used to construct a pigpen and procure 40 native hogs for 70 IP families. FEU also opened the applications for its Alumni Scholarship Program to the Tamaraw Rangers & their contingents who wished to enroll in a two-year technical vocational course. Through its partner schools, FEU aims to help these students harness their skills and land a job immediately after completing the TechVoc program.
Both the native hog livelihood program and the alumni scholarship program were funded by the One FEU Fund through the FEU Alumni Relations Office. The One FEU Fund is a crowdfunding initiative made possible by the collective efforts of the FEU Alumni Community, which aims to fund scholarship programs and community-based initiatives, to name a few.
Another grant amounting to P31,100.00 was also awarded to the IP tribe for their bamboo and nito nursery. These raw materials will later be used for the production of native products such as walis tambo and ornamental decorations. In addition, the Tau-buid tribe works closely with the local government in conserving the endangered Tamaraws by serving as rangers and guides/porters to the tourists.
As part of this year’s Brigada Eskwela initiatives, FEU also distributed 200 packs of school supplies to the students of Tamisan Elementary School. The team also improved the school’s existing mini-library and playroom project in Tamisan by donating educational toys, reading books, and other learning materials.
To support the One FEU Fund, you may visit https://thefeualumni.com/onefeufund/ for more details.
Article contributed by Mr. Patrick Vaughn Emil M. Manuel, NRMF Executive Director