Happy Holidays from the Isa Mundo Foundation

We would like to wish everyone Happy Holidays and all the best in 2013.

It has been a year of project maintenance for the Foundation as we begin to asses how to further support our on-going projects since 2006.  As with all not for profit and charitable organizations, attainment of financial support and funds has been a challenge the past two years as the global economic recession has had an impact on fundraising and grant contributions.  But despite this, Isa Mundo continues to complete projects and found ways to help establish another Isa Mundo Education Centre in Sinacaban region in the Philippines this year.  We think that this speaks to the unique approach of the Foundation and its reliance on partnerships rather than solely on grants and fundraising.

Our success in partnering with businesses, corporations and individuals with specific skill sets has allowed us to grow without increasing costs and by focusing on in-kind donations of supplies and human resources.  This has proven to be less stressful than fundraising and waiting for grants.  As one of our mentors often said " poverty never sleeps " so we need to be innovative and ensure we keep completing projects and find different ways to complete our work.

As an example, we are working on developing the first Isa Mundo Foundation Life Skills Program that we hope to launch in our schools and other child centred facilities.  This will require research, editing, partnering with an academic insititution and working with one of our not for profit organizations in Latin America to pilot the program.  The cost would be minimal as everything is donated in-kind, including printing of the workbooks. But the end result of this simple project could be very relevant in supporting our on-going programs and education curriculum to improve the lives of children and students.

Our approach is simple and we intend to continue following the same path in 2013 but also mindful that we need to keep progressing and attract new members and volunteers with fresh ideas and skills.

We would like to thank our families, friends and members for your continued support. Our success is driven by your commitment to believe in our vision and work.  We wish you all a  healthy, prosperous and peaceful 2013 !!!

Maligayang Paslit 2012

Isa Mundo Foundation has again partnered with the Bambang Youth Organization in Bambang, Bulacan Philippines. The annual Maligayang Paslit celebration is a fun filled event that invites children and youth on December 24th of each year.  It's an event to motivate and inpsire the youth of Bambang to be active and be involved in their community.  

This is the 13th Maligayang Paslit and the event has grown each year and it is estimated tht over 1000 children and yoth will participate this year.

Isa Mundo has been a partner since 2006 and has become on the major supporters of the annual celebation.  We will post photos and summary of the event in the new year.

The Sinacaban Central School IMEC

We are happy to update that another Isa Mundo Education Centre (IMEC) has been established in Sinacaban Central School in Misamis Occidental region of the Philippines.

The laptops and school supplies arrived safe and sound this week and will be set up as soon as possible in time for the new calendar year.  We are thankful for the partnership with the Sinacaban School and the committment of its teachers to provide much needed technology to improve the education opportunities of the students in the community.  We are committed to support the IMEC by ensuring that we improve the capacity of the school to deliver the best possible education for its students.


We will keep you updated and we hope to visit Sinacaban Central School in the near future.

Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal

On October 29, 2012, our Director and Founder, Paul Lorilla, received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal to honour his significant contributions, achievements and dedication to improve the lives of children, families and communities through the Isa Mundo Foundation. Paul accepted the award on behalf of the volunteers and supporters of the Foundation and stated that 'this is more than just an individual award, there are countless volunteers, funders and other not for profit organizations that make our projects successful, so this medal is to recognize and thank them as well for their passion to help those less fortunate. I am honored to accept this for the Isa Mundo Foundation family'.


The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal is a new commemorative medal to mark the 2012 celebrations of the 60th Anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the Throne as Queen of Canada. This year, 60,000 deserving Canadians will be recognized for their outstanding service to community and for helping make Canada what it is today.

To learn more about the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal, visit http://www.gg.ca

Thank you Blurr Clothing

A few years back, we received donations from Blurr, a clothing line providing versatile styles for outdoor use.  These clothes included shirts, pants, shorts and bags that were all in new condition.  We have taken our time donating these supplies to our various projects but we recently shipped the final boxes to the Philippines this year.

We partnered with a local organization in Manila, Philippines that focusses on feeding malnourished families in the region and where Blurr clothing could be used as uniforms for classes.  In addition, Blurr clothing were also donated as part of relief supplies for the recent typhoon flood victims that devastated the area.

We would like to thank Blurr for their support to the Isa Mundo Foundation.  Blurr is run by a small and hardworking group in  Squamish, B.C., Canada.  The company design and develop products for the young minded, progressive and multi-faceted outdoor enthusiasts. You can see their clothing line at www.blurrstuff.com. 

To learn more about the "Feeding Children, Teaching Mothers" program in the Philippines, please visit their website at  www.soroptimistamandaluyong.org

Thank you Manila Express Cargo

We would like to thank the Manila Express Cargo (Vancouver/Richmond) for their support in shipping much needed computers and school supplies to Misamis Occidental region in the Philippines.

The supplies will help create the second Isa Mundo Education Centre in the Philippines and enhance the current curriculum at the Sinacaba Central School.  Shipping supplies to Asia is always a challenge and costly.  We are grateful for partners such as Manila Express Cargo who believes in our vision to improve education opportunities in poor communities in the Philippines. 

The company offers sea cargo shipment from Canada to any part of the Philippines including money transfers and door to door services in the country.  To learn more about Manila Express Cargo, please visit their website at:

www.manila-express.com/

Seven Billion and Counting

In the year 2012,  the world's population reached over 7 billion and continues to grow by more than 80 million people per year. According to the Media Population Centre:

" The extreme growth in human population – now counted by an additional billion people every 12 to 13 years — is mortally taxing the Earth and its resources. Each individual person has a unique impact on the planet’s environment. Some people may be relatively less damaging than others, but no living individual is without an ecological footprint. In other words, each person needs basic resources and almost all people aspire to utilize significantly more resources than are required by their basic needs".

This means that great pressure is being placed on land, water, energy, and resources to provide an adequate supply of food while maintaining the integrity of the world's ecosystem.  In addition, the increase in population, specially in developing countries and less fortunate communities, will influence the demand for education and could hinder efforts to achieve education objectives.

More than ever, we are now part of a global community where someone's actions locally can have an effect elsewhere in the world. There are many challenges facing us but we also have solutions to our problems if we work together in partnership and collaboration.

Isa Mundo Foundation will continue to support projects that focus on conservation, efficiency, and green technologies. We will also strive to promote educational quality for children and youth and increase access to basic education in regions we have visited.

Reference:
World Population Review
Media Population Centre

International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples

On August 9th each year, the world celebrates and promote the cultures and contributions of indigenous peoples to improve our environment and society.

Indigenous peoples reside in some of the poorest communities in the world and we have seen first hand the inadequate conditions they endure.  Despite their challenges, community members remain passionate to preserve their cultures and ensure a healthy future for their children.  We continue to support projects in indigenous communities worldwide and we invite everyone to join us.

To learn more about this year's theme, visit the United Nations website at the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. 

 

Mi Bébé y Yo Update

In 2008, a home based business called Nurtured located in Nova Scotia, donated diaper pins and other supplies to the Mi Bébé y Yo organization based in Mexico.  The group was established to help less fortuante people by putting together gift baskets for mothers and new born babies in the Guadalajara region.

Nurtured eventually opened its retail location in Halifax in 2009 and under new ownership, it opened a new renovated space that almost doubled the original size of the store in 2011.  Isa Mundo contacted Nurtured this year to once again ask for their support and they provided much needed diaper pins and diapers that will be shipped to the organization and distributed to the mothers and newborns in Guadalajara.

We would like to thank Nurtured for their contribution and continued support. For all the parents out there looking for environmentally sustainable products provided by a Canadian based company, please visit their website at www.nurtured.ca 

Happy Birthday Canada!

On July 1, 2012, Canada celebrated it's 145th birthday. Governor General David Johnston praised Canadians as hard workers who contribute to their communities and the betterment of Canada. 

According to Imagine Canada, "Canadians are generous and engaged with their communities. They donate their time, money, energy and skills to the causes that matter to them the most. These individuals are the foundational support for Canada’s more than 165,000 charities and nonprofits which in turn support our communities’ social fabric and quality-of-life". 

So on this Canada Day, the Isa Mundo  Foundation would also like to thank all passionate Canadians for continuing to support not-for-profit organizations both in Canada and internationally.  Happy Canada Day to everyone!

United We Dance - Salsa Fundraising Night

We would like to thank the Vancouver Latin Fever group for their support and commitment to the Isa Mundo Foundation and our work in Latin America.  

On June 20, 2012, United We Dance was a successful fundraising event thanks to the work and effort of the group's organizers, volunteers and members.  We are grateful to receive the amount raised which will be used to help build a learning centre in the village of Pumamarca near Cuzco, Peru. 

Vancouver Latin Fever is the place to visit to find information on Latin dance, festivals, and other events. You can learn more about the group by visiting www.vancouverlatinfever.com

On behalf of the Isa Mundo Foundation, we would like to thank you again for your commitment to partner with us to improve the lives of those less fortunate in the world.

Carnaval del Sol 2012

 
Latincouver is presenting the 4th Annual Carnaval del Sol and would like to invite everyone to this event.


On June 30th,  the Latin American Celebration of Art and Culture will be a two day cultural festival attracting more than 50,000 children and adults to the street of Vancouver.  


For LatinCouver, Carnaval Del Sol started as a festival in Strathcona Park has become one of Vancouver's prominent summer celebration in the heart of the city where Latin Americans bring the sun, music, and the passion to the city of Vancouver.

Salsa Fundraising Night for Isa Mundo

Isa Mundo Foundation will be doing its first fundraising in Vancouver, BC.  We are grateful for Vancouver Latin Fever choosing us to donate all funds raised for their event on June 20, 2012.

"UNITED WE DANCE" will be a salsa/dance fundraiser to help complete our project in Peru where we are planning to build our first Isa Mundo Education Centre in the country.

We invite everyone to come and enjoy the event while contributing to a worthy cause.

Life Skills Program

Isa Mundo Foundation has been working in partnership with various schools, orphanages an child centred facilities since 2006. The goal has always been to provide basic tools and support to ensure that children and youth have the opportunities to improve their current situation.

We were approached this year to work in partnership to develop a Life Skills Program that we hope can be an addition to school curriculums, enhance sport and recreational programs and can be access by volunteers in various child centred facilities. Isa Mundo is committed to work with experts and practioners and have started the first phase of research in developing the program.

Stay tuned!

Isa Mundo at PNW-SETAC Conference

This past month the Pacific Northwest Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (PNW-SETAC) held their annual chapter meeting here in Vancouver.  This was an excellent opportunity to learn about the scientists conducting research and working towards solving environmental problems here on the west coast of Canada and abroad.  Several man-made pollutants (e.g. fire retardants, pesticides, etc.) were highlighted as particularly troublesome due to their prevalence in water, air and soil as well as in wildlife. 

The number of man-made chemicals is upwards of 500,000 with many frequently detected in our environment, and for the majority of these chemicals there is a high degree of uncertainty regarding their individual and combined effects on the health of humans and wildlife.  We are fighting an incredibly steep uphill battle in this regard.   It is apparent that we as a society need to take this issue seriously and urge our governments to do the same.  Between loss of habitat and widespread pollution our wildlife and our human lives depend on becoming better environmental stewards of this planet, and we at Isa Mundo aim to be part of the solution not the problem.  For more information and to see abstracts from the 2012 PNW-SETAC regional chapter meeting, please visit their website (www.pnw-setac.org).

Cinema for a Cure

Isa Mundo Foundation will be supporting an event to raise funds and awareness for Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Although the issue does not fit within our one of three themes, we wanted to begin supporting local projects and events in our communities in 2012.

CF is the most common, fatal genetic disease affecting Canadian children and young adults. This multi-organ disease affects one in every 25 people in Canada - well over one million Canadians. Cinema for a Cure will have a double-feature film that will be shown on May 5th, 2012, at Denman Cinema in Vancouver’s West End. All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to Cystic Fibrosis Canada.

To donate and to buy tickets to this event, please visit their website at cinemaforacure.com. We are proud to sponsor this event and many other local events in the future.

Sharing Success Forum

In the past few years, we have met many passionate people and organizations who have completed life changing projects in both local and global communities. Each of them bring different stories of challenges and success that have provided us with valuable tools and knowledge that have helped to complete our own projects.

In the past few months, we have been in discussion with other organizations on having a gathering that would take place weekly/monthly and allow us to bring together new ideas and share our network with each other.

This month, we developed an informal Sharing Success Forum that takes place weekly at a local coffee shop in Vancouver and attended by a few people with experience in project management locally and internationally. We would like this forum to expand into a larger and more formal setting in the coming years. It is our hope that we can continue to discuss how to turn new ideas into concrete projects through networking and partnerships.

We invite others to join us, the more the better!

Isa Mundo Photobook

Since the initial visit to Mexico in 2005 and the official launch of the Isa Mundo Foundation in 2006 - our small team and past volunteers have visited some of the most beautiful places in the world. During these travels, we experienced various cultures, enjoyed diversed landscapes, tasted local cuisines and met happy, friendly and passionate people.

During these travels, we were also exposed to the hardship that many children, families and communities face everyday in the developing world. Our site visits to these communities are what motivate us to find ways to help and provide support to the best of our abilities.

Our first Photobook captures the first 6 years of our work and shows cultures, landscapes, communities, organizations and our all projects both past and present. With the continued help of our funders, supporters and volunteers, we hope to complete Volume 2 in 2017.

For those who want copies of the Isa Mundo Photobook, please contact info@isamundo.org.

Support a Teacher

Isa Mundo Foundation is committed to supporting basic primary education in communities by providing school supplies, technological tools and educational books. In addition to these crucial resources, one of of the most important needs in communities, that are sometimes overlooked, are funds to pay teachers.

We are asking all our supporters to donate to Isa Mundo to fund the full-time or part-time salaries of teachers. Teachers in communities we work with are passionate about their work and they serve as tutors, mentors, and role models. Despite the low pay and long hours, they remain dedicated to find new programs and activities to motivate students to reach their full potential.

Please click on the DONATE link on our website and Support a Teacher today.

Isa Mundo Website

The Isa Mundo Foundation website will have a fresh new look in coming months. In late 2011, we finalized a newly designed look and feel and are now in the process of finalizing contents. We will be adding new features such as: news articles and stories relevant to our project themes and focus; promoting ideas for new initiatives and projects; and the launch of Mundopedia.

Mundopedia is a page that will highlight where we have been, why we are there and map our progress to date. It will include vital statistics relevant to our mission such as: literacy rates, education attainment; child and youth homelessness; focus on conservation and sustainability and health issues.

We hope the new website will be more user friendly and contain all the information regarding the foundation and all its past and current projects.

Stay tuned!

SoJo - The Social Journal

We would like to introduce SoJo (Social Journal) as part of Isa Mundo Foundation's committment to expose organizations and groups who are doing inspiring work to engage youth to make a positive change in their communities.

Isa Mundo is proud to be a part of the initial discussion for SoJo and we are excited to work together in the future by using our skills and network to promote our shared values and vision . SoJo was developed to be the " foremost online destination to inspire and empower youth to dream big and engage in social entrepreneurship. It empowers users with the tools and resources necessary to create social ventures."

We invite our youth members and supporters to visit the SoJo website at thesojo.net to learn more about how to turn you ideas for social change into reality.

Isa Mundo in 2012

Happy New Year!!

Although we were launched in 2006, this is the start of Isa Mundo Foundation's 6th full year in operation. When we reflect back to what we have accomplished together, communities we have visited, projects we have completed, volunteers we have met and partnerships we have formed - it has truly been a great success. We owe it all to friends, families, businesses, communities and other organizations, who believe and support our work.

In 2012, we hope to launch and complete a few projects. Along the way, we will update you on our progress, challenges and hopefully lots of success stories. We are eager to keep expanding our IMEC concept in Peru, begin discussion on a new Social Skills Program under our Children and Youth projects, begin conservation and environmental health projects in Mexico, forge partnerships with new organizations in British Columbia, and continually support our existing projects. It will require a lot of effort to accomplish all these goals but we are looking forward to the challenge.

It will be a very busy 2012 and we are excited to continue Isa Mundo's committment to better the lives of those less fortunate in the world.