Jingle The Change: Introducing year-end crowdfunding of Espoir School of Life

This year, through a crowdfunding initiative, Espoir School of Life aims to fuel the community’s Year-end Celebration and demonstrate the profound impact of collective generosity.

Espoir’s focus remains on free education and holistic community development, by directing resources toward sponsoring meals and giving gifts to 198 children learners, and nurturing families through gifts and Noche Buena for 184 households. What makes this initiative unique is their choice of gifts—lipsticks for women and sunshades for men—aimed at challenging societal norms, empowering individuals, and fostering inclusivity regardless of economic status. With a detailed budget plan totaling Php 151,600, this initiative stands poised to supercharge a culture of belonging within their communities, vis, Gawad Kalinga Village, Sitio Ilihan, Sitio Liaonan, and Sitio Sugba.

Espoir has identified specific communities—Gawad Kalinga Village, Sitio Ilihan, Sitio Liaonan, and Sitio Sugba—grappling with an array of complex challenges. These include climate vulnerability, scarce job opportunities, inadequate healthcare and sanitation access, a lack of sustainable food sources, and a majority living below the poverty line. Espoir’s research in 2022 highlighted a staggering 67.2% in Gawad Kalinga Village, representing a significant majority facing
struggles below the poverty threshold. In December 2021, Siargao bore the brunt of Typhoon Hai (known locally as Odette), causing immense disruption and devastation in these communities. This calamity further hindered their year-end celebrations and exacerbated their efforts to rebuild amidst severe
limitations—ranging from severely restricted to almost no access to essential resources. This year, through a crowdfunding initiative, Espoir aims to rewrite
the year-end season narrative of the community and infuse it with joy.

The primary goal of our crowdfunding initiative is to gather resources for the Espoir communities’ Year-end Celebration while remaining dedicated to advancing free, inclusive, and empowering education while fostering holistic community development.